Pakistan needs to Strategically Eliminate the Taliban Threats

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In 2007, various terrorist groups united into what is now known as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a coalition opposed to the Pakistani government. Recently, the domestic branch of the Taliban movement has resumed its armed struggle against the authorities after a five-month pause for negotiations, adding to the country's already considerable problems of a strong protest movement, rampant inflation, energy and foreign exchange shortages, and rebuilding from devastating floods. Unless the terrorist group is stopped in its tracks, the present wave of terrorism may very well extend to other areas of the State.

Notably, the TTP has made reversing Pakistan's 2018 decision to include the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) near the Afghan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province a core aim of its militant campaign. The TTP has been active since 2007 when it began its campaign to establish an Islamic emirate in FATA. TTP and Islamabad began negotiations in October last year, and the process went with glitches until June when the militants declared a truce, which was ended last month. The army resumed operations in FATA after the government-TTP ceasefire ended.

Furthermore, On December 16, TTP militants who were being held in prison in Bannu city in the northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, which borders Afghanistan, beat up the guards, stole their guns, and took over the facility. In videos that they sent out from the jail, they threatened to kill the prisoners, including an army officer. After a fierce battle that lasted all day and killed more than two dozen people, most TTP members, the Pakistani military took back control of the building. Pakistani army regained anti-terrorism center seized by TTP.

According to the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), the number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan increased by 50 percent during the 12 months following the Taliban control of Kabul, resulting in around 433 deaths (PIPS). TTP terrorists are employing a variety of weapons, including thermal imaging devices, which NATO soldiers abandoned in Afghanistan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province citizens have reportedly been experiencing a wave of anxiety and panic due to the suspected return of TTP militants from Afghanistan in recent months, and this problem highlights that fear and panic.

Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan's prime minister, remarked that "terrorism" remains one of Pakistan's most pressing issues and that Pakistan shared global concerns about "the danger presented by the main terrorist organizations operating from Afghanistan. Moreover, Pakistan's foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has welcomed international demands for the Taliban to show progress in stopping global terrorist organizations from attacking Pakistan from their Afghan sanctuaries. He further urged the government to reconsider its approach toward the militant organization and stressed that it is time to reassess the internal security and terrorist judgments we made or were forced to make and that there was nothing wrong with admitting that Pakistan was wrong about some things and right about others and that we should reexamine our strategy.

Notably, since the government and TTP ended their ceasefire, the army has resumed operations in FATA and elsewhere; however, military actions have failed to eliminate the TTP danger in the past. Islamabad, instead, should use a multipronged approach to counter the terrorists. Unfortunately, militant groups have been carrying out a slew of horrific assaults across Pakistan, bringing attention to the country's worsening security situation and prompting calls for the country's political and military leaders to take action.

The insufficient economic activity and the lack of effective civilian institutions, particularly the police, have enabled the TTP to regain power. Significantly, to effectively dismantle the TTP's infrastructure, Pakistan must first increase international pressure on the Afghan Taliban through the United States and China. In a statement released on December 1, the State Department of the United States designated the TTP as "specially designated global terrorists." As the continued Afghan Taliban support for the TTP will be interpreted as official backing for terrorism by Kabul, this diplomatic victory was significant for Pakistan. 

Importantly, the Afghan Taliban must be aware that Pakistan will not formally recognize their authority unless they take decisive action against the TTP and other extremist groups. In addition, instead of persecuting anti-TTP social movements like the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, Pakistani authorities could help them establish social and political resilience, reducing the space available for militants to find sanctuary. This should be bolstered by an economic development strategy for the mineral-rich region, which has copper, manganese, chromium, and iron.

Nonetheless, Pakistan's multidimensional strategy should include effective oversight by the parliament and the participation of MPs representing FATA and other regions ravaged by terrorism. This can aid in ending the division between different Taliban factions, a fabrication of Pakistan's military leadership that legislators have long opposed. Moreover, these measures will expand public support for the new anti-TTP campaign. 

Frequent attempts to negotiate peace with the TTP have failed because the group has utilized each lull in warfare to regroup and launch new offensives. However, military efforts will not be enough to eliminate the TTP danger. Pakistan must adopt a diversified strategy to aid the inhabitants of FATA and other contentious regions. Hence, the TTP has seized every break in fighting to regroup for new offensives, making it impossible to discuss peace with them. However, military operations alone will not be enough to neutralize the TTP threat. Pakistan must help the people of FATA and other conflict zones in various ways.