Militancy, insurgency, and instability continue to rise exponentially in the northern areas of Pakistan; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has, in the past few months, been witness to a greater number of violence and terrorist attacks than it has for years now. Previously classified as ‘isolated’ acts of terrorism, there is a now growing concern amongst army officials and locals alike that most of these incidents are interlinked and carefully planned out, having been claimed by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who continue to grow and flourish in the region after their takeover of neighbouring Afghanistan. While the new government in Afghanistan vowed to ensure the seizure of any terrorist activities from being carried out on its soil, upholding such promises is yet to be seen.
The peculiar political and security situation in Afghanistan was bound to have an effect in the neighbouring regions, and as terrorist and militant groups continue to use Afghan lands as a haven to carry out their plans of destabilising the region, backed by other foreign powers who wish to see Pakistan plunder in darkness and destruction, the accomplishments of the military in bringing peace and prosperity to the region now face an imminent threat. The military has fought the war on terrorism for over a decade, attempting to counter violence through force and peace negotiations and agreements with the TTP. However, now it seems that the military will have to take an even more drastic approach in combating those who threaten our peace, as it is not just the armed forces, but a rising number of civilians too who are facing the brunt of the attacks. The locals now grow weary of the TTP and wish to take personal measures as well to counter the daily threats they face towards themselves, and the safety of their families. Attacks on the local police force, abandoned check posts, and public areas have culminated in locals taking to the streets and raising their voices to rally for a complete ousting of the TTP from the region.
Failure to reach common grounds between the armed forces and the TTP, owing to the Taliban’s insistence on breaking the region from governmental hold and national laws to establish their Shariah-based system, and the refusal of the government and the military to agree to these terms, has resulted in TTP carrying out terrorist attacks and targeting innocent civilians. Furthermore, TTP’s backing from other regional powers, namely India, who wish to see the failure of our military’s war in KP, instability, and death in the region and downfall of the entire nation’s infrastructure, adds strength to their agendas and generates a more serious threat to Pakistan than we currently realise.
No matter who the powers at the forefront of these attacks are, or who are secretly facilitating them, it is guaranteed that if these attacks are not contained here and now, there will be no stopping the tsunami of violence which will soon ensue. If this militancy is not stopped and effectively dealt with in KP at the earliest, there will be no restraining it from spreading like a disease all over the nation. The dark times of the country are on the brink of returning, an era when, from mountains to the seashore, no province and no city were safe.
A nation already impacted by political instability, destabilising economy, exponentially rising poverty, and devastating floods which have resulted in a record-breaking, highest number of internally displaced persons in the world, cannot afford the resurgence of militancy and terrorist groups in the northern regions of the country. What hope does it leave for the common man, who now, on top of worrying for his family’s basic bread and butter, must fear a repeat of those dark times when simply leaving the house was a life risk? How can a nation already so battered by its existing myriad of crises tackle this imminent final blow? We hope that our armed forces will continue to tackle the threats, work tirelessly to prevent any impending dangers, and take all efforts to maintain a ‘peaceful Pakistan’.
Mohsin Saleemullah
The writer holds an LLM in business law from UC Berkeley and is a practicing lawyer and columnist.
He tweets
@Mohsin
Saleemu and can be reached at mohsin.saleemullah@berkeley.edu.