Written by: Ch. Muhammad Natiq Ubaid:
Strategic Affairs Analyst and Chief Editor – Editorial & Commentary at TN Media News.
Pakistan has seen its worst political anarchy and polarization in the past few months after the ouster of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. An anarchy-type situation overcame all quarters of Pakistan like a dark cloud and created uncertainty in the minds of the common public. This political crisis fueled economic crises and the situation became more worsen when fuel prices were raised by 35Rs/L. Political meltdown along with economic uncertainty has clouded the minds of the public and media. Frustration in general rose to the highest level and gave room to other hostile power to play. This psychological ouster has rose many other issues within and outside the state of Pakistan – against Pakistan, terrorism is one of the main ones.
Slander’s campaign against Pakistan Army to achieve political gains has worsened the situation and surfaced enemies of this country to hit her on physical grounds as well. We have seen a rise in TTP attacks in northern areas of Pakistan, especially the KPK region. When US & NATO forces were evacuating from Afghanistan it was widely anticipated that the peace process in Pakistan will be improved. It was expected that TTA (Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan) will hunt and execute Anti-Pakistan elements in Afghanistan.
The situation worsen when during the transition of US & NATO evacuation anti-Pakistan elements break out from the jails in Afghanistan and mingled with the public undetected. A subsequent new surge in terrorism incidents like bombing, uprooting of fences at the Pak-Afghan border and an attack on Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Kabul has again made Pakistan stand on the same lines of hostility.
Understanding Afghanistan: We share a long border with Afghanistan which is hostile in many ways such as its people, terrain and weather. In Afghanistan we have to understand that Afghanis are mercenary people, the only industry they had and flourished during the war times was fighting for money. They have no other known ability to earn their living other than fighting. TTA’s writ is not spread all across Afghanistan and where they have controls are vulnerable. TTA has failed to provide stability to its people and couldn’t provide the people with the opportunity to earn without lifting their arms. This chaos and the need to earn a living have created splintered groups within Afghanistan sanctuary.
These splinter groups are settled all across Pak-Afghan borders and are playing for the highest bidder. Hostile powers and agencies like RAW, CIA, MI6 and MOSAD pound them with dollars to use them to create instability at the Pak-Afghan border. The uprooting of fences installed by the Pak Army, guerilla tactics against Pakistan Border Security Forces and shading TTP elements is their source of income. These hostile groups are basically smugglers who smuggle drugs, weapons, fuel and many other items from Afghanistan to Pakistan.
Current Situation in Pakistan and KPK Province: In Pakistan, we endured tireless efforts to uproot terrorism in past years but we lacked planning to keep it the same afterwards. The political system didn’t play its part and failed to provide basics to the people who were displaced during the war on terror. Social development by civil administration didn’t take the pace and substitutes were not provided to their old ways. After the FATA was merged with provincial and civil administration their Jirga system was hampered, Malik – the Mashran system weakened but again civil administration and political leadership either had no will or the attention to fill the gap.
The army did its part but the political system failed and did not give proper attention towards their situation and well-being which resulted in agitation against Law Enforcement. Political parties like PTM came into being and sympathized with the enemies of the state and challenged the writ of Pakistan. So this vulnerability on both sides of the borders encouraged TTP to carry out terrorist acts on Pakistan soil. RAW fueled the sentiments on this side of the border and floated dollars on the other side of the border to hamper peace in Pakistan.
Political parties and the elite of this country has not only failed people in ex-FATA and KPK but also in the other three provinces of Pakistan as well. Their self-centred political struggle has created a gap in society, the writ is compromised, and people are confused and vulnerable to learn any lesson that may fill their appetite for stress. Frustration has taken our attention from the main cause and issues towards artificially created matters.
This gap has provided the opportunity to all hostile stakeholders to give a further push to the country to lead her towards terrorism and further economic meltdown. This current Political instability has also led towards an increase in street crimes in rural and urban parts of the country. Law & Order situation has come to its worse level, people are not safe in their homes, streets or roads. Roadside crimes are on the rise, people have become pugnacious and arguments have come to homes and personal rooms on political polarization.
Terrorism: A new wave of terror has emerged with an increase in attacks on Law enforcement agencies, especially Police. Recently we have seen two major terrorist incidents in Banu AT complex and a suicide bomb blast in Peshawar Police Lines Mosque. Now, this wave of terrorism needs more effort than before to counter it. We have fought a long war against these terrorists in past and now they know our tactics and strategies. They have learned our ways and line of action, our Armed forces needed more focus and people backing than before. Army has held them and maintained peace for a long time but this current political polarization has changed the dynamics.
Chaos within the country among its people and public machinery has disturbed the system. Pakistan continues to face multiple sources of internal and external conflict. Extremism and intolerance of political parties towards each other have fueled dissent amongst the masses and are threatening the country’s prospects for social cohesion and stability thus giving safe routes to terrorists to conduct terrorism in Pakistan. The inability of political parties to reliably adopt peaceful ways to resolve grievances has encouraged groups to seek violence as an alternative. The country maintained peaceful political transitions after the 2013 and 2018 elections.
However, as the country prepares for anticipated elections in 2023, it continues to face a fragile economy along with deepening domestic polarization. Meanwhile, devastating flooding across Pakistan in 2022 has caused billions in damage, strained the country’s agriculture and health sectors, and also laid bare Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate disasters and troubling weaknesses in governance and economic stability. Unity is the only modus operandi to come out of this brutal wave of terrorism and economic meltdown.
