Senate was briefed about the Tehrik i Taliban’s (TTP) reorganisation, expanse, infiltration by sabotaging the fence being built by Pakistan along the Afghan border, and the severity of the threat this banned militant outfit poses, by the Interior Ministry. It is concerning that the TTP used the time of peace talks in 2022 to organise better within its ranks and later broke the ceasefire to carry out a series of attacks against the Pakistani state. To flee counterattacks, however, its members return to Afghanistan where the interim government lets them live and hide in plain sight.
TTP is the central issue between Pakistan and Afghanistan right now. After the US troops left Afghanistan, TTP found a considerable liveable space inside the country. Now it keeps sabotaging the border fence and recruits mostly from the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The influx of TTP members is a cause of concern and requires more robust measures in the bordering areas. The border fence that Pakistan started erecting in 2017 is near completion now but militant activity in the area has turned it into tedious and unending work.
The terrain is definitely challenging but the attacks by militants are a major threat to the fence. Though Pakistan and Afghanistan have had high-level talks during the previous year to address the issue, the lack of a solid strategy of the interim government and its inherent soft corner towards the TTP could not bring about any substantial outcome. 2023 saw a number of attacks claimed by TTP inside Pakistan. Its expansion represents a complex challenge that cannot be put on a back burner. The threat is immediate and Pakistan must have a sound strategy to break or halt the recruitment cycle.
In an effort to stop illegal movements across the border, Pakistan has adopted a one-visa policy and cancelled all other temporary visit documents. This policy is intended to stop rouge TTP members from crossing into Pakistan in the guise of a patient or a usual citizen. But it seems the militants have resorted to more direct ways of picking up the fight and keep expanding. A robust strategy must be put together to stop such dangerous illegal movements and a bigger strategy to respond to the TTP threat