AFGHANISTAN was the only country that opposed Pakistan’s entry to the UN back in 1948 and over the last seven decades the relations between the two neighbors have been rather turbulent and hostile. During the period of King Zahir Shah the issue of Pakhtunistan was raised and then it became a greater issue during the rule of Sardar Daud. After the departure of the Soviet forces Afghanistan first fell into a bitter civil war and Pakistan continued to host over three million Afghan refugees and then we witnessed the rule of the Taliban under the command of Mulah Omar the supreme leader of the Afghan Taliban. The TTP was formed in 2007 when many Pakistani religious extremist groups combined under the leadership of Baitullah Mehsud. This group of extremist fundamentalist militants has been responsible for suicide bombings across the length and breadth of the country extinguishing the lives of over 80000 innocent Pakistanis and causing terror and chaos in the country.
It was only after the tragic and gruesome attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar that the Govt. made a serious effort to root out the scourge of the Taliban from the country and a serious military operation was launched that succeeded in eliminating the terrorist group from most parts of the country.
The Taliban grabbed power for the second time in Afghanistan after the exit of the American forces in August 2021 and Ironically Imran Khan of Pakistan was the only leader in the world to rejoice and welcome the Taliban victory in Kabul. Today the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are once again bitter and hostile and the main reason for this strained relationship is the Afghan Govt. lack of will to control the terrorist activities of the TTP. Although the interim government has continuously stated that it will not allow its soil to be used for any terror activities, certain elements in the government have extended support to the TTP and its various affiliate.
The TTP is once again up and running and their declared aim is to impose the Islamic Sharia in Pakistan no matter what it takes. On 16th March 2024 the TTP struck in Mir Ali North Waziristan resulting in the martyrdom of seven Pakistani soldiers including two officers and two days later the Pakistani forces launched an intelligence based operation to wipe out the terrorist cells on Pakistani soil. This operation was launched after many months of rising tensions between the two countries.
There have been repeated instances of Islamabad informing the Afghan Taliban about terror operations mainly from the TTP and other related banned outfits that enjoy considerable liberty to operate from Afghanistan. Since August 2021 after the Taliban take over in Kabul Pakistan has witnessed a well-armed bold and arrogant TTP launching terror attacks from the safety of their base in Afghanistan..
According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), in 2023 alone, around 645 militant attacks occurred in Pakistan, causing the deaths of over 938 people.2023 was the bloodiest and most damaging year for the country’s security forces more than 500 personnel lost their lives and about 94 percent of the attacks occurred in KPK and Baluchistan border areas near Afghanistan.Another report by the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS) states that 78 per cent of attacks have been carried out by the TTP, which also accounted for 82 per cent of the casualties. It is now obvious that the Afghan Taliban Govt. in Kabul is patronizing and encouraging the TTP and this has enabled the TTP to launch cross border terror attacks and run back to their sanctuaries in Afghan territory. As militant attacks ramped up, Pakistan repeatedly engaged the Afghan interim government through diplomatic channels, intelligence sharing, and international security platforms and asked them to take effective and concrete action against the TTP. However, there has been no decisive action from them so far to curb the conducive environment provided to the TTP and its affiliates.
In spite of repeated protests and requests by the Pakistan Govt. the Afghan regime has not acted against the terrorist group on Afghan soil and finally Pakistan had to take action and launch attacks on the terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan. Instead of showing any remorse the Afghan Govt. of the Taliban has issued protest notes and warned of dire consequences and breaking off diplomatic relations if Pakistan forces attack any base in Afghan territory they have even gone to the extent of threatening to break off diplomatic relations with Pakistan. Trade is the first casualty when the Torkham and Chaman border crossings are closed and Afghanistan a land locked country suffers the most. In spite of the hostile attitude of the Afghan Govt. a delegation of the Ministry of Commerce visited Kabul on 25th March to talk about enhancing trade between the two countries.
Future relations and trade improvement will now depend on the willingness of the Afghan Govt. to control the onslaught of the TTP militants from their side of the border. It goes without saying that this new spate of terrorism is due to the cross border incursions of the TTP. It must also be realized that our counter terrorism policy regarding the TTP cannot be based solely on the cooperation of the Afghan Taliban Govt. There is plenty of evidence that the TTP enjoys plenty of support and cooperation from many groups and individuals in our mushroom growth of Deeni Madaris all over the country. Pakistan today is in immediate need of a new anti-Taliban policy or a comprehensive counter terrorism policy to root out the menace of religious terrorism.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
Email: tariq.aqil@headstart.edu.pk
