From the Era of Musharraf, that is, for more than two decades, KP, particularly the Ex-Fata region, has been a war zone, which suffers from terrorist attacks, as well as the effects of repeated military campaigns.
However, despite these operations, terrorist groups, particularly the prohibited TTP, have not yet been completely defeated. For example, in Tirah, local tribes have apparently asked TTP fighters to leave the region. According to the reports, the militants said they would “consult” their leadership in Afghanistan with respect to their withdrawal from the area.
This shows how entrenched are the terrorists in parts of KP, in addition to highlighting the fact that the TTP command structure remains intact in Afghanistan. Due to the continuous militant presence in parts of KP, the military has once again launched an operation in parts of the tribal district of Bajaur.
With the launch of the Sarbakaf operation, local people are once again trapped in crossfire between terrorists and the military. The people of Bajaur had organized protests against the last military campaign, with the tribal population saying that they were not given an anticipated warning of the operation and the touched touch related. The fear of more death and displacement pursues them.
The PTI government in KP had initially criticized the campaign, but the prime minister, in an apparent U -turn, supported the action. However, the PTI continues to oppose military action in the affected areas of KP. The reserves of the tribal people about repeated operations are understandable, and there have been great demonstrations against militancy and military campaigns after terrorism resurfaced in KP after the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan in 2021. They rightly ask why terrorism has not yet been eliminated after decades of counter-insurgences.
Perhaps the main problem with the anti -terrorist operations in KP is that, although the security forces have fought hard and given sacrifices, having success in the ‘clear and sustained’ phases, the ‘build’ phase of the CT campaigns has failed to deliver. For this, both civil and security leaders are responsible; The first for not building the ability of civilians, and the second so as not to completely stop the infiltration attempts of Afghanistan.
However, during a meeting of the committee ‘harden the state’ on Thursday, the prime minister discussed a multipobrine strategy that involves operations, legislation and public dissemination to combat extremism. While the question of terrorism must be addressed with Afghanistan, local responses must ensure that this time, CT actions are exhaustive, so that KP people do not suffer incessantly.
The State must establish its court order throughout the country, and there can be no feuds in which terrorists dominate. All the points highlighted in the reviewed NAP must be implemented, since kinetic action alone is not enough. In addition, CT operations must ensure that there is minimal collateral damage and that terrorist groups such as TTP are permanently uprooted.
Posted in Dawn, August 2, 2025
