Terrorism in Pakistan
There has been a spike in violent terrorist activities in Pakistan ever since the 9/11 attacks in 2001. If we look for the root causes of these extremist activities we can trace them back to the Soviet-Afghan war. Now for terrorism in Pakistan we look back at the history of the Taliban. In 1989 when the USSR invaded Afghanistan Pakistan joined the proxy US-Soviet war and backed the Afghan mujahideen. From 43 Muslim countries 100,000-500,000 mujahideen were mobilized to Afghanistan and Pakistan to fight the USSR. The CIA masterminded the Afghan jihad to avenge the US defeat in Vietnam with logistics support from the ISI. The joint move of these two intelligence agencies with the help of financial support from Saudi Arabia led to the defeat of the Soviet forces in 1989.
After the proxy war the USA’s unwise decision to leave Afghanistan without proper re-socialization of Afghani jihadi groups led to an outbreak of civil war between warlords and jihadi groups for a share of resources and power and paved the way for the Taliban movement in Afghanistan in early 1990. Then under the leadership of Mullah Omar, first they captured Kandahar in 1994, and then in 1996, and imposed Islamic Sharia in Afghanistan.
After 9/11, the Pakistani decision to abandon the Taliban under US pressure and to become a “frontline” state in the War on Terror brought a massive change in its strategic security paradigm. Thus the heroes of the USA and Arab nations who sponsored the Afghan jihad against the USSR were suddenly declared villains, enemies, and terrorists. Talibanization largely emerged after the US invasion of Afghanistan to hunt down Osama Bin Laden, the Al Qaeda chief, and renmove its allied Taliban government who were declared responsible for the 9/11 attacks in the USA.
Thus this led to an uncertain situation that paved way for the creation of a more powerful, organized Islamic militancy in Pakistan under the name of Tehrik Taliban Pakistan in December 2007 that waged a bloody war against the state to enforce Islamic Sharia in Pakistan. The senior Taliban leadership nominated a veteran jihadi Baitullah Mehsud of South Waziristan as the first Amir . Initially, 27 militant organizations joined TTP and established its organizational structure in 24 districts of, all seven tribal agencies of FATA, and later extended its terrorist activities deep into Islamabad, as well as Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Baluchistan with the help of Punjabi Taliban and other sectarian affiliates.
Mehsud was killed by a US drone strike. After his death, Hakimullah Mehsud took over in 2009. He aggressively pursued the violent campaign of Baitullah Mehsud until November 2013, when he was also killed by a US drone attack.
Pakistan witnessed a total of 11,521 terrorism-related incidents from 1970 to 2014. Unfortunately, 84 percent (9,658) of the total violence in Pakistan surfaced after joining the U.S. “war on terror” in 2001. Providing two bases Shamsi Airbase in Baluchistan and Jacobabad in Sindh further triggered this violent reaction. More importantly, 80 percent (9,222) of the violence erupted after the formation of TTP in 2007. TTP successfully engaged the target by applying different techniques such as bombings or explosions, armed assaults, kidnapping, assassinations, hostage-taking, hijacking, infrastructure attacks, etc. Pakistani Taliban abducted five US soldiers from Afghanistan in July 2003, two Chinese engineers in 2005, 250 Pakistani soldiers in South Waziristan, in 2011, Haider Gilani, son of former PM Yousef Raza Gilani, in 2013 and many other important political and government officials for political leverage in negotiations and sometimes for handy ransom for TTP operations.
Assassination of high-profile politicians include former PM Benazir Bhutto, just after the emergence of TTP in 2007 revealed TTP’s interest in the future power politics of Pakistan. According to the Pak Institute for Peace Studies digital database on conflict and security, 88 percent of the total acts of terrorism in Pakistan were committed by TTP. Since 2001, terrorism-related incidents have cost 59,694 lives and cost more than $106.98 billion in losses to the economy. Pakistan has witnessed 407 suicide attacks (99.03 percent) of overall suicide attacks (411) since 1970. During the 30-year period (1970- 2000), only four suicide attacks had been reported in Pakistan. However, after joining the War on Terror in 2001, this number has risen to 411. The country witnessed its first suicide attack in 2002. Up to 2006, the number increased to 25. However, after the formation of TTP in 2007, the number reached 411, 93.91 percent by the TTP. TTP’s main target was Pakistani citizens (96.5 percent). Only 3.5 percent of all attacks were on foreigners. Civilian and private business remained is main target. Militants carried out 3,307 (32 percent) attacks against civilian and private businesses throughout the country. The second potential target was social services, including educational institutions, health sector, and non-military government installations, with 2,783 (29 percent) attacks against them. A total of 2,406 (25 percent) of the attacks were carried out against the military indicates that 86 percent of the attacks have been carried out against civilian/private business, social services and law enforcement agencies including the military and the police, Frontier Corps and Intelligence agencies. Religious organizations, political parties, media, and journalists were also attacked during the period from 2001 to 2014. All this violence was happening against Pakistanis and the perpetrators not only had the sympathy from a large section of Pakistani society but this sympathy was also found in the highest ranks of military, Lt Gen Mahmud Ahmed, DG ISI at that time, turned out to be a strong supporter of Taliban.
The terrorism in Pakistan was because it was the battlefield of clash between western liberal capitalist ideology and fundamentalist Islamic or one would say extremist Islamic ideology. Post 9/11 America wanted Pakistan to be its ally in the War on Terror and ban the militant outfits it once used against the USSR. On the other hand these armed groups and a big section of Pakistani society retaliated against the ruling regime in Pakistan and what they called westernization of Pakistani society. Responding to this retaliation, the state started military operations in its North-Western tribal areas where these armed groups had significant presence.
We can apply the concept of Human needs theory to the post-military operation situation in tribal areas as it was not easy for the military to eradicate militants from these areas, because military strikes and US drone attacks were proving counterproductive as civilians were being also killed in collateral damage and human rights situation was worsening. As people there were not getting fundamental human rights such as the right to live peacefully and their basic needs, such as health, education were not being fulfilled, more people were joining these militants, thus the conflict was becoming more complex.
Surface causes of the conflict were Pakistan joining the American bloc in occupying brotherly Islamic state, Afghanistan.
Root causes were unemployment, illiteracy, less development in these tribal areas. Secondly these Pashtun tribes have a rich history of resisting military forces trying to rule them by force, and which they deem a threat to their culture and values. Another root cause was the anti- Pakistan sentiment in a section of the Afghan community which started from the Durand Line dispute and which was very much prevalent in Zahir Shah’s rule in Afghanistan in early 1950s.
Triggering causes were the collateral damage due to the military operation by Pakistani forces and US drones strikes.
Main actors or primary stake holders in the conflict in Pakistan were obviously the state of Pakistan and militant organizations including the TTP, the people of tribal areas and subsequently the whole of Pakistan were also key stakeholders. Secondary stakeholders were the USA and its allies, as well as the people of Afghanistan and Afghan Taliban.
The spoilers in the conflict were India and the anti-Pakistan groups it backed in Afghanistan. India quite impressively made anti-Pakistan sentiments flare up in Afghanistan and used them against Pakistan for its interests. The main interest of India in Afghanistan was to engage Pakistan in a two-front confrontation (Western and Eastern borders), so that Pakistan’s military gets over-occupied and fails to maintain pressure in Kashmir. Another interest of India was to gain regional dominance by having pro India government in Afghanistan. The extent of India’s success in its plan was eminent by the statements of key ministers in Ashraf Ghani’s administration.
When we apply concepts of peace to this case study things get clearer. Peacekeeping in this case was done by the military of Pakistan by use of force to have an fragile order of peace; once that was achieved now the military and state are working on peace building, focusing on root causes of militancy; building educational institutions, creating job opportunities, giving skill education to locals and former militants, and mainstreaming these areas by integrating them in the province of KPK.
In this regard all provinces of the country have decided to cut a share from their NFC awards to allocate extra money for these areas left behind. Now the next step in this process is Nation building for which integrating the people of these areas with rest of Pakistan, building a sense of nation and homogeneity is the key.
Source: pakistantoday
