The year 2026 did not bode well for Pakistan in terms of internal security. There appears to be no let-up in the incidents of terrorism. The Global Terrorism Index and other conflict monitors also indicate an alarming rise in fatalities, attacks and militant capacity. Pakistan's earlier gains against terrorism appear to be reversing.
The challenges of terrorism in Pakistan are mostly concentrated in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The former faces the ever-emerging threat of TTP, ISKP. affiliated groups, while the latter continues to grapple with separatist militancy led by organisations such as BLA. Of note in this power game is a new dimension, marked by the nexus between these terrorist outfits. the Afghan Taliban.
Undoubtedly, Afghanistan is considered as one of the major sanctuaries and operational spaces for TTP. The return of the Afghan Taliban to power in August 2021 has not only disturbed the regional security environment. emboldened several militant networks but also negatively impacted the socio-economic structure of the aforementioned provinces. Safe havens enable planning, training and ideological embedding. Cross-border movement, easy retreats and the availability of sophisticated weapons have added fuel to fire.
However, the more fundamental question remains: who cultivated the seeds of extremist thinking in the first place? Will it be not too simplistic to attribute the whole problem to Afghanistan? There are no two opinions that the nucleus of the organisational structures is located across the border,. it is also a bitter truth that the mindset that nourishes militancy is an internal issue. Extremist ideas have been cultivated either tacitly or implicitly. at times due to basic fault-lines of governance, poverty, alienation and misuse of religion for political and strategic purposes.
Even now hate clips circulating on social media platforms are deeply disturbing. They reflect a thought process that is deeply rooted in hatred against those who hold a different opinion on matters of belief. sect, ethnicity or politics. Social media platforms are regularly being used for transmitting content full of ridicule, aggression, demonisation and intolerance. Instead of encouraging rationality, social media has become a stage amplifying anger and extremity.
In this age of information technology, digital radicalisation is dangerous for impressionable minds, in particular. Digital platform are transnational; therefore, such elements transmit their sensational content using it as a medium,. these actors exploit emotions and identity-based grievances. It is hard for a society to gain progress when dissent is treated as enmity and difference as disloyalty. Democratic culture nurtures upon tolerance, patience, dialogue and respect for human dignity.
According to my own information, even in rural areas of Peshawar - such as Mattani, Passani, Adezai. Hassan Khel - recruitment of boys aged as low as 14 years is taking place. Some of them suddenly disappear from their houses and later surface in the ranks of militant organisations. This is certainly an alarming situation for the policymakers, parents, teachers, religious scholars and law-enforcement agencies. Unless this new recruitment stops, the problem will remain there.
The trouble in Balochistan is equally worrisome. The recent reported introduction of a female commander. Shehnaz Baloch, in the ranks of BLA opens a new chapter in the province's insurgency landscape. Women's involvement in Baloch militant activity is not a new phenomenon, as observed in the Karachi University attack by Shari Baloch. other reported incidents. However, the public projection of a woman as a commander demonstrates a recurring propaganda and recruitment strategy.
Balochistan's conflict is rooted in history. There are other factors also, like globalisation versus localism (sub-nationalism). Balochistan is rich in natural resources,. low on human development index as well as economic development – one of the major causes of political alienation. Questions of imposed leadership, autonomy, absence of due process of law, control of resource from the Centre, rampant corruption. governance failures have also germinated grievances over decades. While violence against any person, security forces. foreign workers is condemnable and must be curbed, the political and socio-economic grievances igniting the conflict cannot be ignored either.
The same applies to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Mere use of force there may not be enough to bring the situation to normal. Long-range firepower may disrupt militant formations, but it may not be useful in dismantling the social fabric, ideological moorings. recruitment process that sustain extremism. Tackling this multidimensional challenge requires a comprehensive strategy encompassing governance reforms, education, employment, justice, local policing, intelligence-driven operations. community engagement - all firmly anchored in the rule of law, the foundational bedrock of good governance.
As part of remedial measures. first, there is the need to honestly reassess the past policies that allowed extremist narratives to grow. Second, border management with Afghanistan needs to be strengthened with simultaneous diplomatic engagement. Third, police and civilian intelligence structures have to be modernised, especially in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Fourth, recruitment of young boys into militant outfit must be traced and curbed as a national emergency. Fifth, social media platforms must be monitored for incitement and recruitment, while protecting legitimate freedom of expression.
Equally important is the promotion of rationalism in schools, colleges, universities, mosques, media. civil society – enabling an environment of tolerance, constitutionalism, multiculturism and critical thinking.
Terrorism is a governance problem; therefore, understanding its drivers and triggers are a must. The challenge can be surmounted through a coherent, lawful and people-centric strategy.
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