The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
In recent editorials, leading Pakistani dailies warned that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a key ally of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA, i.e., the Afghan Taliban), is evolving into a major security threat not just for Pakistan, but for the region and beyond.
The liberal daily Dawn, in an editorial titled "TTP's Reach," noted: "While there are strong ideological and doctrinal links between the Afghan Taliban and the TTP, the former are satisfied with implementing their rigid system internally, while the latter group has a wider 'vision,' working as it does with transnational terror concerns."[1]
On September 18, Pakistan's ambassador Munir Akram warned a meeting of the UN Security Council of a "serious threat of terrorism within and from Afghanistan" in the form of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).[2] He dubbed "the TTP, known as Fitna Al-Khawarij[3] in Pakistan, as the largest terrorist organization in Afghanistan that is conducting almost daily terrorist attacks against Pakistan with full support and protection of the Afghan Interim Government (AIG) and sponsorship of Pakistan's major adversary."[4]
Addressing the UN Security Council, Munir Akram explained that the TTP has evolved into an "umbrella organization" for various militant groups, each of which has the potential to destabilize the region, adding: "The TTP is already on the UN's radar, as the multilateral body has affirmed that the outfit is currently the largest terror group in Afghanistan, enjoying close bonds with the Afghan rulers."[5]
On September 22, The Express Tribune daily wrote an editorial titled "TTP Threat" saying that ambassador Munir Akram's "words should not fall on deaf ears and an instant stock-taking is desired along with a plan of action to work for serenity in the region and beyond."[6]
President Asif Ali Zardari (left) and Pakistan Army chief Gen. Asim Munir shoulder the coffin of a Pakistani soldier killed in North Waziristan (image courtesy: Dawn.com)
Following are excerpts from the Dawn editorial:[7]
"Pakistan, Along With Iran, The Central Asian States, Russia And China, Should Evolve A Joint Strategy To Address The Militancy Problem In Afghanistan"
"Though the banned TTP is principally a threat to Pakistan's security, the terrorist group's wider ambitions should not be ignored by the world.
"In this regard, Pakistan's ambassador to the UN, Munir Akram, recently told the Security Council that the TTP is an 'umbrella organization' for militant actors, with the potential to destabilize the region. Moreover, indicating the state's dissatisfaction with the Afghan Taliban regime, he added that the TTP operates with 'full support... of the Afghan interim [Taliban] government.'
"There are, of course, justified reasons for the state's frustration with the Afghan Taliban's inability to crack down on cross-border terrorism. In attacks on Thursday and Friday [September 19-20], several security men were martyred, mostly in areas close to the Afghan border. In one incident, terrorists were prevented from crossing into Pakistan, while in another, Pakistani forces traded fire with Afghan security men.
"Expanding on the TTP's potential to cause havoc beyond Pakistan, Mr. Akram cited the terrorist group's ties with Al-Qaeda, saying that the TTP – by joining forces with the multinational terror franchise – could become a 'spearhead' for regional and global terrorist goals. The TTP is already on the UN's radar, as the multilateral body has affirmed that the outfit is currently the largest terror group in Afghanistan, enjoying close bonds with the Afghan rulers.
"While there are strong ideological and doctrinal links between the Afghan Taliban and the TTP, the former are satisfied with implementing their rigid system internally, while the latter group has a wider 'vision,' working as it does with transnational terror concerns. Therefore, as this paper has mentioned before, there is a need to pursue the anti-TTP campaign on two fronts: the domestic and the foreign.
"Domestically, the state must ensure that TTP fighters and allied groups are not able to hold any territory or freely cross the Afghan frontier. Our demands for international action will lack conviction if we are not able to keep our own soil free of terrorist groups. Secondly, as the ambassador pointed out, the TTP – particularly its activities inside Afghanistan – should be a matter of global concern, specifically for regional states.
"The TTP is not the only violent outfit operating within Afghanistan; Al Qaeda, ISKP, Central Asian fighters, as well as Uyghur militants are also believed to have a presence in that country. Some have cordial relations with the Afghan Taliban, while others, for example ISKP, have adversarial ties with Kabul's rulers.
"Therefore, Pakistan, along with Iran, the Central Asian states, Russia and China, should evolve a joint strategy to address the militancy problem in Afghanistan. Pakistan's warning about the threat the TTP poses should be heeded by the international community, as Afghanistan has remained a hotbed of extremist groups in the past. The same mistake should not be repeated."
Following are excerpts from the editorial in The Express Tribune:[8]
"Pakistan Faces An Existential Threat From Terror Actors, And The Apathy Is That The World Is A Silent Spectator"; "Afghan Taliban Leadership Must Reflect On The Bitter Fact That It Is These Disgruntled Elements That Had Kept Afghanistan In The Abyss Of Lawlessness For Decades"
"Pakistan faces an existential threat from terror actors, and the apathy is that the world is a silent spectator. Islamabad has time and again brought to the fore the exigency of taking out TTP terrorists, and their compatriots who are holed in Afghanistan and Pakistan and are at impunity to carry out their nefarious activities.
"Lately, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Munir Akram, has warned the Security Council that the dreaded organization is a 'serious threat of terrorism within and from Afghanistan,' and possesses the potential of causing regional destabilization. These words should not fall on deaf ears and an instant stock-taking is desired along with a plan of action to work for serenity in the region and beyond.
TTP emir Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud has coopted dozens of local terror outfits
"Pakistan's envoy did some plain-talking as he went on to categorically state that the revulsion is backed by Kabul as the Afghan Interim Government looks the other way. The Taliban 2.0 have been a failure in working with Islamabad as they have come up with excuses and denials of their own, apparently passing the buck by refusing to take responsibility for the mess underway.
"Kabul should, at least, account for the spike in terrorism in Pakistan since 2021 when it thronged to power and see to it that the mushrooming of non-state actors on its soil is one of the prime reasons behind the surge in bloodshed and mayhem.
"The outlawed TTP had also staked its claim for attacks on Pakistan's security forces, as well on Chinese personnel, apart from fragmenting the society on sectarian and parochial lines. While the mastermind and operative logistics of TTP are inside Afghanistan, it is a grim reminder that Kabul has not kept its word of screening such elements, and its territory is being used against neighboring countries.
"Last but not least, Afghan Taliban leadership must reflect on the bitter fact that it is these disgruntled elements that had kept Afghanistan in the abyss of lawlessness for decades, and appeasing their regrouping for political incentives will cast a collective threat to the region."
