Pak army in a Catch-22 situation in dealing with terrorists

TTP is a long-term challenge for Pakistan which will haunt it for decades and due to the economic turmoil, Pakistan Army is not in a position to sustain a prolonged offensive against TTP.

Unfortunately, Pakistan is caught in a Catch-22 situation - either to adopt proactive measures or a reactive approach while dealing with extremist forces in the country.

Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism for over two decades, leaving the country to the destruction of its socio-economic-politico fabric. It was 2001 when the US launched an incursion on Afghanistan along with extremism in Pakistan. At that time, Afghanistan was ruled by the Afghan Taliban, once trained and financed by the US in collaboration with Pakistan against the Soviet Union. When the US invaded Afghanistan and removed the Taliban from the government, Pakistan sided with the Western forces in fighting its infamous "War on Terror". The extremist elements in the region including Afghan Taliban, al-Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced to wage the war against Pakistan for supporting the Western forces in Afghanistan. Since then, Pakistan has been a constant prey of extremist elements, targeting security forces and civilians.

The TTP, in a bomb blast at a police mosque in Peshawar, killed over 100 people, mostly policemen on Jan 30 last. Just weeks after, two policemen and a Ranger were among four people killed while 16 others sustained injuries in a suicide attack at Karachi police office on 17th Feb.

The Afghan Taliban appear to have been providing support to TTP, according to a report of the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) released on 16th Feb. The report says that the TTP's political leadership and capability are based in Afghanistan and the outlawed faction has been raising funds through extortion inside Pakistan as well as in Afghanistan. The TTP also has popular support in Afghanistan, where both Taliban and non-Taliban constituencies are behind the TTP due to an intense dislike for Pakistan. Some Taliban fighters are also joining the TTP, and there are reports of some recent bombers being Afghan. "Yet the balance of opinion within the Taliban is strongly in favour of the TTP. In particular, Taliban Amir Hibatullah Akhundzada agrees with the TTP that the Pakistani system is 'un-Islamic'."

The Pakistani army launched the first major operation, Al-Mizan, against terrorists from 2002 to 2006. At the same time, it signed different peace agreements with the TTP, called the Shakai agreement in 2004, the Sararogha agreement in 2005 and the Swat agreement in 2009. All the agreements failed as these were never honoured by the TTP because talks for peace were always taken by them as a sign of weakness of the State.

In June 2014, operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched in North Waziristan to clear it from terrorists. The operation was a success that cleared the region after defeating the Taliban, and those who escaped the operation fled to Afghanistan where they were provided safe-havens.

In February 2017, Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad was launched to consolidate the gains of operations across Pakistan. The operation was a continuation of the National Action Plan (NAP) which was drafted soon after the APS Peshawar attack. On 15 August 2021, the Afghan Taliban took control of Kabul and declared the independence of Afghanistan. According to the media, after taking over Afghanistan, the Afghan Taliban requested the government of Pakistan to take back the TTP militants. Accordingly, talks were held between the government of Pakistan and the TTP facilitated by the Afghan Taliban. The TTP demands included the imposition of Sharia and the release of their militants from Pakistani jails, in addition to the reversal of the merger of Pakistan's tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A ceasefire was agreed upon, however, talks remained inconclusive.

In December 2022, the TTP unilaterally ended the ceasefire agreement and directed its militants to carry out attacks across Pakistan. The recent surge in terrorist attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reflects their growing strength in the province and foothold in Balochistan. The TTP took full advantage of the lull period and negotiations to regroup. The recent suicide bombing claimed by a faction of the TTP, the Jamat-ul-Ahrar is to avenge the death of its leader Omar Khorasani. The TTP now appears to be more organized and armed with sophisticated weapons left behind by the US army during their exit from Afghanistan.

The terrorists with the support of their handlers are trying to damage Pakistan. Pakistan claims that it has paid a price during the so-called war on terror in which more than 85,000 Pakistanis have lost their lives. The Pukhtoons of Pakistan have sacrificed more than any other ethnic group in Pakistan as a result of this war. If any group deserves real appreciation for their contribution right from 1947, it is the Pukhtoons.

Former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has levelled serious allegations against former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa who wanted to "rehabilitate" members of the banned TTP in the country after the Afghan Taliban captured Kabul.

Meanwhile, TTP has warned of more attacks in Pakistan after storming the Peshawar and Karachi police chief's office. TTP said in an English-language statement that "the policemen should stay away from our war with the slave army, otherwise the attacks on the safe havens of the top police officers will continue. We want to warn the security agencies once again to stop martyring innocent prisoners in fake encounters otherwise the intensity of future attacks will be more severe."

The TTP is a long-term challenge for Pakistan which will haunt it for decades. Today, due to this economic turmoil, Pakistan Army is not in a position to sustain a prolonged offensive against TTP. Today, almost all the factions of TTP are united under the leadership of Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud and fighting the Pakistan Army.

The most dangerous pattern being observed is the Islamic State in Khorasan (ISKP), the top enemy of the Afghan Taliban which not only enjoys the support of Pakistan ISI but also has its safe heavens in Pakistan. Many of the ISKP leaders are frequent guests in the Pakistan Army GHQ at Rawalpindi which does not need any corroboration. In the name of Pashtun nationalism & Pashtunwali, a civil code followed in the entire Afghanistan and the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, TTP has been successful in uniting people for its cause.

The future of Pakistan seems to be dark under the multiple threats of a collapsing economy, political instability, monopoly of the Pakistani establishment, extremist groups like TTP and Baloch rebels attacking anywhere in the country at their own will, and rising religious groups like Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) as well as Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). The Pakistani establishment has an even bigger challenge today than TTP and that is to resolve the political instability. By the time they succeed in this, it will be too late.

(R C Ganjoo is a senior journalist and columnist having more than 30 years experience of covering issues concerning national security, particularly Kashmir. He has worked with several prominent media groups and his articles have been published in many national and international publications.)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.