Since the Afghan Taliban’s successful and swift takeover of Kabul in August last year, Pakistan has tried to facilitate the new regime in Afghanistan to make a smooth transition from being in an active state of war against US troops for over two decades to a government that wants to be recognized and legitimized both regionally and internationally. To that end Pakistan has advocated for the world to give Afghanistan a chance and not allow it to fail by providing much needed aid while sending crucial food and medical supplies to the country where there is not enough to eat. In return, there was an expectation that Kabul would address Pakistan’s security problems that emanate from terrorist outfits like the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that continue to find sanctuary in Afghanistan to plot and execute attacks from across the border, especially targeting security personnel. The latest example of this is TTP killing five Pakistan army soldiers, firing on them from across the border in Kurram District of KP. There has been an uptick in violence domestically as well, with an incident in Islamabad involving TTP militants who shot down a policeman. What is more, the TTP is actively supporting groups like the Baloch Liberation Army, which was able to carry out a blast in Lahore’s Anarkali area that killed at least two while injuring dozens. A few month ago, there were reports of a peace deal being negotiated with the TTP but that fell through as their demands were simply to ridiculous to be considered. The message being sent through such attacks is therefore quite clear, that the TTP and its allies can easily infiltrate and stage attacks and blasts in key Pakistani cities, not just far flung areas up north, unless its demands are met and a ceasefire is agreed upon.
That the interim government in Afghanistan has been asked to intervene and persuade the TTP to stop its activities several times but to no avail, means that they are indirectly supporting such violence and mayhem against Pakistan. Unless Pakistan makes it abundantly clear that for a quid pro quo, Kabul must do all it can to rein in the terrorists operating from its soil. If it is unwilling or unable to do so, that should be made clear to Pakistan so that a different strategy can be formulated and executed to secure its borders and cities.
