One Pakistan Army major has been killed, three soldiers and as many civilians have been gravely injured, three police officers, and a member of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) have all been killed in separate terrorist attacks just in the first 11 days of July. Since tens of thousands of people have perished in terrorist attacks throughout the years, and many more have had to deal with the grief and rage that comes from losing a loved one, it is not an exaggeration to state that the threat of terrorism is once again present. The hope this time is that since lawmakers and the military have officially stated that engaging with terrorists only serves to embolden them, give them greater support, and enable them to organised more effectively, the state in its The senior brass of the army has previously committed to eliminate the conditions that encourage terrorism, extremism, and instability in the nation by pursuing terrorists using a “whole-of-the-system” strategy.
The TTP’s safe haven in Afghanistan is among the most significant causes of the country’s growing terror threat. Pakistan has been pressuring the Afghan Taliban to address the TTP threat on their side of the border in this situation so that Pakistan may better handle its counter terrorism policies on its own turf. The actions done by the Afghan Taliban government to combat transnational terrorism are now being acknowledged by Pakistani authorities. Pakistan has hailed the Afghan government’s decision to remove TTP militants from border areas as a significant development, noting that the Afghans have taken attempts to allay Pakistan’s and its neighbors’ concerns about terrorism, including China, but that it is still a problem.
It is a fact that shortly after Kabul fell in August 2021, a new wave of terrorism began to sweep the nation. The previous Imran Khan-led administration had been forewarned of this by Pakistani security professionals. Security experts have also cautioned that, despite the Pakistani government’s apparent desire to give peace a chance, the TTP has repeatedly demonstrated its disinterest in it. These and other inquiries were made at the time, but the PTI administration did not respond. What were the conditions of these conversations, say, if TTP members were to be relocated? Would the state not have sacrificed enough territory and resources if the negotiations ultimately failed—which is what happened in the end?
The Afghan Taliban’s efforts to neutralist the TTP and drive the terrorist organisation away from the Afghan regions bordering Pakistan is thus welcome and promising news. According to our government officials, pockets of “TTP, ETIM, and other groups” are of worry, and Pakistan and China are both hoping that the Afghan government will take action in this area. The government of Pakistan must implement every aspect of the National Action Plan if terrorism is to be completely eradicated, from showing zero tolerance for extremism from any group to more effectively using our intelligence resources as a preventative measure. It won’t be enough to simply win on the battlefield. It is necessary to discredit their dividing ideology in order to stop new extremist threats from emerging. Although this is a difficult endeavor, it is not insurmountable. This struggle can be won in the end if Pakistan is willing to combat the entire terror menace and the Afghan regime does not hesitate to cooperate in counter terrorism efforts.
