Pakistan’s battle against terrorism has intensified in recent years, revealing deep-rooted geopolitical complexities and foreign interference aimed at destabilizing the region.
From Cold War Allies to War on Terror
Pakistan has a long history of fighting against terrorist outfits. The country faced terrorism soon after the Afghan War. Pakistan assisted the United States in recruiting, arming, and training “Mujahideen” to fight against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. However, the same Mujahideen were then labeled as terrorists by the United States soon after the end of the war. The United States used both Pakistan and the Mujahideen to achieve its regional ambitions. Nevertheless, its altered regional ambitions altered its policies towards allies and foes.
After the end of the Afghan War, the United States sought to keep Russia, China, Iran, and the newly established nuclear power Pakistan under observation. It needed a strong military presence in the region to pursue this goal effectively. Therefore, it used the 9/11 attacks as an excuse to intervene in Afghanistan militarily. The United States not only declared its own recruited and trained ‘Mujahideen’ as terrorists, but it also coerced Pakistan to join its so-called War on Terror against the Afghan Taliban. It provided economically and politically unstable Pakistan with only two options: either with us or against us. The former Pakistani diplomat and nuclear strategist, Abdul Sattar, also stated in his book Pakistan’s Foreign Policy: 1947-2016 that the United States warned Pakistan of harsh consequences if it did not assist the NATO forces in this war against the Afghan Taliban.
Rise of Militancy in Pakistan
Pakistan’s alliance with the US in this war gave birth to anti-state sentiment among the people in the country’s tribal areas, leading to the creation of many militant organizations like the TTP and TNSM. The creation of these organizations led to a wave of suicide attacks in Pakistan. On the other hand, the country’s regional and international rivals saw this militancy and instability as an opportunity. They started supporting these terrorist organizations and also supported the creation of separatist groups, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), and Balochistan Nationalist Army (BNA) in the Balochistan province.
According to the Journal of Development of Social Sciences (JDSS), during the first 17 years of the so-called ‘War on Terror’, Pakistan lost $126.79 billion, significantly more than the aid provided by the United States. Pakistan has also lost around 80,000 lives due to terrorist attacks. Moreover, these terrorist attacks also tarnished the social and financial fabric of the country. Pakistan’s international standing was damaged due to rising terrorism in the country. The country’s tourism sector has faced severe implications of the rising terrorist attacks. The Swat region, a major tourist destination in Pakistan, faced a loss of $400 million only within the first eight years of the war.
The Way Forward
In addition, the terrorist activities also severely impacted the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Pakistan. The United States and its global and regional partners exerted pressure on Pakistan to abandon the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Pakistan did not bend to this external pressure and decided to continue its cooperation with China. Pakistan also provided China access to the Gwadar Port, which could help Beijing in securing its fuel and energy imports.
However, a significant surge in terrorist attacks on the Chinese engineers working on these two projects was observed in the past few years. The BLA has specifically launched attacks on the Chinese engineers and has repeatedly threatened to target the Gwadar port. These attacks indicate the involvement of a foreign hand behind these terrorist attacks. Many of the terrorist organizations have been seen using US weapons and arms. The CIA has a long history of supporting terrorist groups to protect US interests in different regions. The ongoing terrorist attacks in Pakistan, especially on Chinese projects, highlight that these terrorist organizations are serving Western interests.
The Pakistan army has recently launched the Fitna Al-Hindustan operation against terrorist organizations operating in Balochistan province to serve the interests of its regional and international rivals. The Pakistan military has pledged to eliminate all terrorist groups in the country in this operation. Moreover, the Pakistani government has also coordinated with the Afghan government to restrain the terrorist groups based in Afghanistan, especially the TTP, from using their soil to launch terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
The increasing engagement of the regional countries, especially China, Russia, and Pakistan, will prove significantly beneficial in establishing peace in the region. The interim Afghan government has shown its willingness to curb all terrorist groups to ensure regional peace. However, the so-called torch-bearers of peace, democracy, and humanity also need to stop international meddling and support for the terrorist organizations operating in South Asia and the Middle East.
Taut Bataut – is a researcher and writer that publishes on South Asian geopolitics
