Defense policies Pakistan must pursue to tackle emboldened TTP
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With events leading to Kabul falling to the Afghan Taliban on Sunday, the outlawed militant organization Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which had taken refuge in Afghanistan in areas bordering Pakistan, is becoming active.
With mostly Pashtuns, it is trying to draw strength from its local and nationalist identity and create unrest and discontent against the government and especially the armed forces. By raising the bogey of independence of tribal areas at a time when Afghanistan is caught in a civil war, it hopes to garner broad support for the movement.
A stable and peaceful Afghanistan is an unquestionable imperative for a peaceful Pakistan. This will act as a barrier for TTP and other anti-Pakistan groups from operating freely close to the border. Stricter management of border areas by present and future governments of Afghanistan in which it deals firmly with TTP and other anti-Pakistan elements will be mutually beneficial.
Unfortunately, there is a serious misperception in Washington that Pakistan is partly responsible for the US defeat in Afghanistan. They don’t realize that from the very beginning, the venture was destined to fail.
With thousands of refugees trying to enter Pakistan, it will be very difficult to identify who among them is a supporter or an active member of the TTP.
As TTP’s activities are essentially directed toward Pakistan, the group has not been on the radar of the Western powers. Now however, the situation has changed.
Pakistan’s security agencies expect that with the country under control of the Afghan Taliban, they might ensure the TTP and other anti-Pakistan hostile groups are not allowed to engage in their activities. This will be an important test of Taliban’s sincerity toward Pakistan.
Moreover, the presence of TTP in Afghanistan also goes against the interests of China, Russia and Iran. This could create conditions to encourage inimical forces to step up their activities and promote instability in these provinces and border regions.
Much more has to be done on priority in view of the rapidly changing political and security environment and challenges emanating from a war-torn Afghanistan.
Talat Masood
The TTP does enjoy some support among anti-Pakistan elements close to the border in Afghanistan and in certain pockets in Pakistan’s tribal areas and Balochistan. The government and military leadership are dealing with the problem both as a security and governance challenge. They are also aware that the intensification of the civil war in Afghanistan has resulted in the mass displacement of people, increasing their vulnerability so it is influenced by anti-state groups like TTP.
The Pakistan government is aware that it has to address the grievances of the border populations of KP and Balochistan. Their neglect in the past and the worsening of economic and social conditions due to the conflict in Afghanistan and spread of the pandemic has made them more vulnerable to exploitation by anti-state elements.
Historically, the Baloch and Pashtun tribes on both sides of the border have enjoyed good relations and are bound by common ties of kinship. Even under a difficult security situation, they have kept up their links. The emergence of forces such as TTP does not serve the interests of Pashtuns or Baloch on either side of the border.
A more forward and progressive approach is necessary to tackle the security situation in the border areas, which successive Pakistan governments have tried to adopt. But much more has to be done on priority in view of the rapidly changing political and security environment and challenges emanating from a war-torn Afghanistan.
Notwithstanding our government’s good relations with the Taliban of Afghanistan, their rise has emboldened non-democratic forces, especially in the remote areas of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan. Another reality that cannot be overlooked is that Afghan Taliban and TTP are ideologically compatible and that this has consequences. To counter these negative trends apart from additional security measures, Pakistan needs to take a long-term view.
A strong commitment with a clear plan to counter the emerging threat of TTP and similar challenges, is Pakistan’s foremost priority. It is taking measures to strengthen political institutions, to widen the scope for economic activity and broadening the educational infrastructure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, especially in areas that constitute the former tribal belt.
- Talat Masood is a retired Lieutenant General from Pakistan Army and an eminent scholar on national security and political issues.
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