Who is responsible for bringing Pakistan to the brink of disaster? None other than its own army that forcibly brought unelected people to the power centre of the country. Thus, politics has become the first causality, followed by the economy, democracy and rule of law in Pakistan…. Writes R C Ganjoo
The Afghan Taliban government had released many TTP and Al-Qaeda terrorists from prisons and they reunified with its breakaway factions as a result of that Pakistan experienced an increase in terrorist attacks inside the country.
Who is responsible for bringing Pakistan to the brink of disaster? None other than its own army that forcibly brought unelected people to the power centre of the country. Thus, politics has become the first causality, followed by the economy, democracy and rule of law in Pakistan.
In 2018, Pakistan was betrayed when it found Imran Khan a new Prime Minister installed against corrupt dynastic political parties. Projecting Imran Khan as a virtuous figure, the power centres were prodded that they (the army) were the masters of the art of politics of manipulation. Sacrificing one popular politician at the altar to establish another for keeping their hegemony alive over the State and society has been the hallmark of such political trickery.
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After the removal of Imran Khan from the premiership, the political situation took a deadly turn, so much so that terrorism raised its ugly head suddenly. Obviously, the establishment was engaged in settling political scores while terrorist organizations were waiting to catch the opportunity. The blast in Peshawar by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on 30th Jan in a mosque, leaving over 100 killed and several others injured, comes at a time when Pakistan is facing a big economic crisis as well as political instability. The attack was to avenge the death of a TTP commander Omar Khalid Khorasani, who was killed by the Pakistani army in August 2022.
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With the exit of America from Afghanistan and the Taliban taking over, the relations between Pakistan and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan went from bad to worse. After the fall of the US-supported Ashraf Ghani government in Afghanistan in 2021, the Afghan Taliban facilitated peace talks between the Pakistan government and the TTP. The negotiations with the banned group began in October 2021 under Imran Khan government, but later the process continued on casual terms when the Shehbaz Sharif government took over. The months-long negotiations ultimately ended in a fiasco in November 2022.
TTP had demanded to roll back the merger of the erstwhile tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and release of hardened terrorists. Moreover, they refused to lay down their arms. These were unacceptable to the Pakistani government. Following the deadlock, the militant group intensified its attacks, particularly targeting the police in KP and areas bordering Afghanistan. Insurgents in Balochistan also stepped up their activities and formalized a nexus with the outlawed TTP. It is widely believed that some political parties also extend helping hands to Afghan terrorists who have taken refuge in Pakistan. There are complaints against these Afghan refugees in most urban areas of Sindh.
The banned TTP, which is now operating from Afghanistan, was formed in 2007. They fled to Afghanistan when the Pakistan military successfully eliminated their hideouts and 4,000 square kilometres of the area was cleared from terrorists in KP.
The recent attacks across KP have rung alarm bells in Pakistan and also exposed security loopholes. The Afghan Taliban government had released many TTP and Al-Qaeda terrorists from prisons and they reunified with its breakaway factions as a result of that Pakistan experienced an increase in terrorist attacks inside the country. Meanwhile, the Baloch separatist groups in Afghanistan formed Baloch Raji Ajio Sangar (BRAS), which included the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Baloch Republicans Guard (BRG). The Baloch groups have also established an alliance with some negligible Sindhi groups to create an impact.
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The Afghan population is divided into five different ethnic groups: Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras and Turkomans. The strongest among Afghan Taliban is ‘The Haqqanis’ under Sirajuddin, who is the caretaker minister of interior and refugees. The Haqqanis are considered the most organized and trained group in Afghanistan. The Tajiks are the second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan which constitutes 26 percent of the Afghan population who speak Dari, a variant of Perion with ethnic linkage with Tajikistan. Their leader Ahmad Shah Massoud fought the Russian invasion from 1979 to 1988 and the Taliban from 1996 to 2001 under the banner of Northern Alliance, which consisted of Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras. After the capture of Kabul by the Taliban, a force was raised in Panjshir valley named as National Resistance Front to resist the Taliban. However, Panjshir valley fell to the Taliban.
It is pertinent to mention that British India demarcated the boundary between Afghanistan and Russia. The border agreement was signed in 1893. This agreement led to the creation of the Wakhan Corridor as a buffer. The successive Afghan governments referred to the boundary as the ‘Durand Line’ and refused to recognize it on the pretext that it had divided Pashtuns. Even today, the Afghan Taliban does not recognize the border as legitimate. There are more Pashtuns in Pakistan than in Afghanistan. There are 35 million Pashtuns in Pakistan, whereas in Afghanistan, Pashtuns are about 15 million.
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