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Militancy as an Internal Security Threat to Pakistan: The Post 9/11 Developments

Divya Anand and Ashish Shukla for BeyondHeadlines

The September 11, 2001 brutal terrorist attack on the US and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan is considered to be the watershed in the history of international relations. Responding to this grave threat, Washington launched Global War on Terrorism aiming at eliminating al-Qaeda leadership, responsible for attack on US, dislodging Taliban regime in Afghanistan, and dismantling infrastructure of terror worldwide. For success in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s cooperation was needed because of its strategic location and close ties with the Taliban regime. Under intense diplomatic pressure coupled with threats to be declared terrorist stated and bombed back to Stone Age, Pakistan agreed to become a frontline state in the war against terrorism. Taliban regime could not withstand against US-led invasion and collapsed within a few days. To escape the fury of the US, a large number of al-Qaeda and other foreign terrorists along with Taliban fighters of eastern and southern Afghanistan cross over the lawless tribal areas of Pakistan. The ethnically similar Pashtuns from Pakistani side welcomed them wholeheartedly.

Soon the lawless frontier became the safe havens where not only terrorists regrouped themselves but started attacking US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. In a related development, Pakistan based anti-India terrorists attacked Jammu and Kashmir assembly and Indian parliament that brought India and Pakistan on the brink of a war, as India launched Operation Parakram and mobilised its military at the border. Again under intense pressure, to defuse tensions with India, Musharraf banned some of the anti-India terrorist outfits and assured India that Pakistani soil would not be used to create trouble for India. At this stage, these terrorist groups adopted new names and relocated themselves in the tribal region. This resulted in the formation of a sophisticated and interconnected network between foreign elements and local militants. With radical elements coming together for a common cause—Jihad against America in Afghanistan and elsewhere—the situation in the tribal areas became explosive.

Winning war in Afghanistan was now closely linked with targeting terrorists based in Pakistani side of the border. So, Washington asked Islamabad/Rawalpindi to move its forces in the troubled tribal terrain. In such a situation, under constant US pressure, Pakistan for the first time moved its military in tribal areas and started conducting military operations there. While conducting military operations, army mainly targeted al Qaeda and other foreign militants but did not touch Afghan Taliban and other militant outfits that were considered “strategic assets” by Pakistani establishment.

With each military operation, resentment among the militants based in the tribal areas grew which resulted in the enhancement of cooperation between various militant outfits and later led them to target Pakistani state and its law enforcement agencies. Apart from conducting guerrilla like operations against Pakistani security forces, these outfits resorted to IED attacks and even introduced suicide bombing in the country. One can imaging their reach with the fact that they even tried to assassinate the Chief of Army Staff Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

When army started receiving casualties in its fight, albeit half hearted, against terrorist conglomerates in tribal areas, it changed its technique and resorted to peace deals with the evil forces. Instead of bringing peace, militants used these deals to buy time and regrouping themselves for further action. By 2007 the situation turned out to be so ugly for Pakistan that it had to launch an operation in the heart of the capital city of Islamabad. The Lal Masjid operation, as it is known, proved to be a watershed in terms of terror related violence. After the operation a number of militant outfits came together to form an umbrella organisation, Pakistani version of Taliban, called Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The emergence of the Pakistani version of Taliban proved to be deadlier than the Afghan version, at least for Pakistan. In less than a year from its formation, investigators revealed that TTP had become the most dangerous militant outfit of Pakistan and was involved in most of incidents in tribal belt including abductions, targeting officials, military convoys and government infrastructure. Its close association with Afghan Taliban and involvement in Afghanistan came to public domain in early June 2008 when eighteen militants of TTP caught in air strikes of coalition forces in Helmand province of Afghanistan. This gave it an international character. It is noteworthy that terrorist attacks by TTP were not restricted to tribal areas, as it covered Sindh, Karachi, Punjab and even the capital Islamabad. TTP mainly targeted Pakistani state institutions, especially military and other law enforcement agencies. For example, TTP carried out brutal terrorist attacks on Manwan Police Training Centre in Lahore(2009), the provisional headquarters of the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence and a police headquarter in Lahore (2009), the Federal Investigation Agency in Lahore (2010), the biggest Frontier Constabulary training centre in Shabqadar in Charsadda district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(2011), Pakistani Air Force (PAF) base in Kamra, Punjab province(2012), army recruitment centre in Mardan district in the country’s North West region (2011),Karachi police station (2014), Jinnah International Airport(2014),Army Public school in Peshawar(2014) etc.

TTP also carried out sectarian attacks in collaboration with the Punjabi Taliban and fomented sectarian violence in cities like Punjab, Karachi, Sindh, and Balochistan. For Example TTP claimed responsibility for suicide attacks on Shia processions in Quetta and Lahore that killed nearly 100 people (2010), the recent anti Shia imambargah bomb last in Shikarpur (2015). On the other hand Punjabi Taliban have established their cells in the tribal areas. One can notice an increased sectarian and anti-Shia attacks in the tribal agencies like Kurram and Orakzai.

Thus the complex interconnections between the various terrorist and sectarian outfits is posing a challenge to the internal security of Pakistan in the form of destabilisation of the Pakistani society and a threat to the very existence of the Pakistani state. In the wake of Peshawar carnage, Pakistan has launched a 20 point National Action Programme (NAP) under which military courts have been established to fast-track the cases of terror suspects. Serious questions are being raised the way government of Pakistan is handling the issue. By establishing military courts in the country, the civilian government has not only accepted its ineffectiveness to deal with the growing challenges but virtually surrendered to the security establishment. In recent times, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s position has been weakened substantially and it seems that he too wants to survive at any cost.

Authors are pursuing their doctoral studies from JNU, New Delhi.

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