Pakistan, which nurtured Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to use it as a proxy force to advance the strategic interest of the Pakistan Army in Afghanistan and India, is now getting a taste of its own medicine as TTP is contributing to the rising insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Geo-Politik reported citing observers. The TTP has deep historical ties with the Afghan Taliban, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP). It is a by-product of al-Qaeda’s jihadi politics in Afghanistan and Pakistan after 9/11.
Pakistani army in order to achieve its own strategic goals created this nefarious design of spawning jihadi and militant organisations. However, it ended up creating a Frankenstein’s Monster that is now devouring itself. Pakistan’s army and notorious spy agency ISI trained jihadi militias to fight in Afghanistan and Kashmir. In Afghanistan, Pakistan hoped to gain strategic depth with the help of these militants, and in Kashmir, it wanted to spread terror and violence to weaken the Indian government and military as well as cause political and social unrest, Geo-Politik reported citing observers.
While the TTP exploits weak government and political turmoil in Islamabad, the state, on the other hand, has taken an indifferent approach. Emboldened by the victory of the Afghan Taliban against the US – a superpower, the armed group has now declared the end of the definite ceasefire that had been painstakingly worked out in June of this year. Furthermore, it has ordered its fighters to carry out attacks throughout the country. The TTP aims to stop not till it establishes a totalitarian Islamic State in Pakistan just like the one in Afghanistan, reported Geo-Politik. The residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed a surge in assassinations, frequent violence, and killings by myriad terrorist groups. And recently, the province has been the site of an ongoing conflict between the Pakistani military and various militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
Notably, TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, was formed in 2007 as an umbrella organization for various militant groups operating in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. The insurgency by TTP has led to thousands of innocent citizens being killed and millions displaced in the region, according to Geo-Politik. The TTP has also been used to counter the influence of other militant groups that are seen as a threat to the Pakistan Army’s interests.
According to Geo-Politik citing several media reports that the Pakistan Army has provided training, weapons, and other forms of assistance to the TTP and other militant groups operating in the region. Additionally, there are also claims that the army has turned a blind eye to the activities of these groups, allowing them to operate with impunity in certain areas. This has further contributed to the rising insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and has had a destabilizing effect on the region. Frustrated by the Pakistani army’s incapability, inefficiency, and ineffectiveness, people, on the regular basis, come out on street and protested against terrorism and the Pakistani state’s total failure to curb them.
The TTP aims to stop not till it establishes a totalitarian Islamic State in Pakistan just like the one in Afghanistan.The logic and pretext Pakistan once mentioned for defying the United States and not acting against the Taliban are now being used by the Taliban for not helping Pakistan curb the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The wheel has come full circle, Geo-Politik reported.