by Abdul Rehman 10 February 2023
Just when we thought peace had been achieved and the head of extremism has been cut off in Pakistan, the TPP strike back with their merciless attack on a mosque in Peshawar. With the suicide attack in the house of God, that led to the killing of more than a hundred innocent Namazi, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced its resurgence in the country. TTP has remained one of the major security threats to the national security of Pakistan. The militant group was established in 2007 with the sole aim of armed struggle against Pakistan’s security forces and establishing an Islamic political system in Pakistan with their conservative interpretation of Shariah. TTP’s ideology is inspired by the Taliban and Al Qaeda whereas, the group is also perceived as an extension of both. TTP has long enjoyed local support in the frontier regions of Pakistan. However, following military operations in 2014, TTP militants were eliminated from the erstwhile FATA. The security forces were successful in restoring peace and order in the tribal region. Whereas the political parties paved the way for peace and prosperity through the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. However, the resurgence of TTP is posing a threat to the short-lived peace in the country.
In the last year or so, we have witnessed a significant increase in terrorist attacks by the militants of TTP. It is believed that TTP fighters have been emboldened by the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan and by the withdrawal of the United States. During the first year of the Taliban rule in Kabul, Pakistan witnessed 51% increase in terrorist activities. Following the failure of the ceasefire, in the spring of 2022, TTP launched “Al-Badr” a military offensive against Pakistan. TTP claims that its fighters have carried out 367 terrorist attacks in 2022. According to the report by PIPS, TTP carried out most of the terrorist attacks in the year 2022. In the current phase of insurgency, TTP conducted one of the major attacks last December when members of the group took hostages inside the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Bannu.
With the rise of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, it was propagated that Pakistan will be the main benefactor of the Taliban government. On the contrary, Pakistan and Afghanistan are on the brink of a possible major crisis due to the issue of TTP. Afghan Taliban and TTP have strong ideological connections due to which the militant group finds shelter in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban rule in Kabul, TTP’s attacks in Pakistan have increased, cross-border tensions along Durand Line have escalated, and the movement of banned outfits along the Pak-Afghan border has intensified. After the US invasion of Afghanistan, TTP provided shelter and operational bases to the Afghan Taliban in the tribal region, in return TTP expect the same from the Afghan Taliban.
In the Doha agreement, Afghan Taliban assured Pakistan that TTP will not be allowed to conduct terrorist activities against Pakistan from the soil of Afghanistan. On the contrary, TTP’s presence in Afghanistan has increased significantly during the Taliban government. It is assumed that TTP has been emboldened by the victory of Taliban in Afghanistan. Afghan Taliban also offered to mediate talks between TTP and Pakistan as it believes that dialogue is the only way to resolve the TTP problem. According to reports, three rounds of talks were held leading to the ceasefire. However, TTP ended the ceasefire in November 2022, urging its fighters to wage attacks across Pakistan.
In the wake of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, TTP remains a major hurdle between Islamabad and Kabul. As the TTP intensified its attacks against Pakistan, the two neighboring countries finds each other in a diplomatic backlash. The re-emergence of TTP is worrisome for both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad and Kabul cannot have independent and friendly relations as long as there is a looming threat of TTP. Therefore, the Taliban must ensure the elimination of TTP’s strongholds from inside Afghanistan and curb any support for TTP from within their ranks.
The sudden rise of TTP is detrimental to Pakistan’s security and economy. Pakistan’s economy is already facing challenges with foreign reserves at their lowest. The worsening law and order situation in the country is only going to exacerbate the economic condition of the country. Although the military operation is inescapable against TTP, it may lead to more burden on the already shaking economy of the country. Pakistan needs to harbor international support against TTP and put pressure on the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to act against the sanctuaries of TTP inside Afghanistan. TTP must not be allowed to capture their once strongholds in the country and sabotage peace. Pakistan’s security and political leadership needs to unite on a single-page agenda to deal with the threat of TTP and end this this battle once and for all.