Pakistan’s struggle against rising terrorism is being undermined by deep political divisions, according to a new report by The Diplomat. The report highlights a significant divergence in counter-terrorism strategies between the federal government and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial government, hindering the development of a unified national approach.
The report notes that the differing policies have created a challenging environment for political leaders attempting to formulate a comprehensive strategy to combat the escalating threat of militancy. The surge in cross-border terrorist attacks since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly impacting KP and Balochistan, has exacerbated the problem.
A key point of contention is the approach to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The report states: “Pakistan’s counter-terrorism strategy has historically fluctuated between kinetic operations against militant groups and dialogue. For example, during Imran Khan’s tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, the PTI pursued a negotiation-heavy policy to manage the TTP threat. Khan’s approach involved resettling thousands of TTP militants in Pakistan as part of rehabilitation and talks with the group. Back then, this was framed as a pragmatic step to de-escalate violence in the province.”
However, the report also highlights criticism of this approach: “Critics in Pakistan’s policymaking circles argued that this was also an attempt by the KP-based political groups to appease the Afghan Taliban in order to win their cooperation against the TTP. The policy was seemingly aimed to foster goodwill with Kabul. However, it backfired as it only ended up emboldening militants who had returned to Pakistan, and allowed space for cross-border infiltrations.”
The current PML-N-led government, along with state institutions, has reportedly rejected negotiations with the TTP. However, the report suggests that this shift in policy hasn’t been fully embraced by the PTI-led KP government, further complicating the national counter-terrorism effort. The conflicting approaches, according to The Diplomat, are significantly hindering Pakistan’s ability to effectively address the growing terrorist threat.
