Pakistan between hammer of tense ties with US and anvil of terrorism

Hamed al-Musalami

China works to cement its ties with Pakistan at a time the latter’s relations with the United States witness marked tension. This might explain Chinese anger at accusations by the US that Pakistan did not do enough in the fight against terrorism. The Chinese stance aimed to prevent the US from including Pakistan in a list of countries that finance terrorism.

The fact is that Pakistan has come at the center of debates by political researchers as far as terrorism is concerned. Some of these researchers say Pakistan had paid the heaviest price because of terrorism and that this state does its best to fight this terrorism at all levels. This in part goes hand in hand with the view of Pentagon. Other researchers believe that Pakistan is a safe refuge for terrorists, escaping the war against terrorism in neighboring Afghanistan. This goes hand in hand with the view held by US President Donald Trump.

This study will dwell on the extent to which Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts and mechanisms are effective. It will also examine Pakistan’s relations with terrorist organizations and whether it sometimes turns a blind eye to the activities of some of these organizations in order to avoid internal unrest.

Security challenges in Pakistan

Pakistan is one of several countries that paid a heavy price as a result of ideological hostilities between the Eastern and Western camps. In 1979, the former Soviet Union invaded neighboring Afghanistan. This encouraged the US and Arab and Islamic states to offer huge support to groups resisting the Soviet occupation. Pakistan was turned into a training center for what came to be known as “Mujahedeen”, or more accurately the Islamist militants who were groomed to fight the Soviet presence in Afghanistan.

These Mujahedeen received support for ten years until the Soviets had to pull their troops out of Afghanistan. However, the withdrawal of the Soviets opened the door for a civil war in the country, one that ended in Taliban taking control of the whole of Afghanistan in 1996. Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations also took root and grew in the country later.

The presence of common borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan and also interrelated tribes in the border area caused the tension raging on in Afghanistan to seep out of it and into Pakistan. Unrelenting fighting in Afghanistan also displaced close to 3 million Afghanis. These Afghan nationals had formed a huge human reservoir terrorist groups can easily use to swell their ranks.

Map of terrorist groups in Pakistan

Extremism was a determining factor in Pakistan since its founding as a state. Pakistan’s dominant religious group preferred independent to merger with India, consequently opening the door for the declaration of the state of Pakistan. Writing by Pakistani philosopher, Abul A’la Maududi, had a great influence on the thinking of Pakistanis. Maududi was an outspoken critic of democracy and Indian nationalism. Nevertheless, the same hard-line tone made the soil in Pakistan fertile for the growth of extremist religious groups. Relations between Pakistan, on one hand, and neighboring countries, India, Iran and Afghanistan, on the other, also contributed to fanning extremism and extremist groups in it.

Some of Pakistan’s extremist groups are Sunni; others are Shiite; a third group of others are tribal, while a fourth group is ethnic, according to a statement by the Pakistani Interior Ministry on January 6, 2018.

The same statement referred to 72 terrorist organizations in Pakistan. We will refer to the most important of these organizations in some detail here.

First, local organizations or ones linked to Pakistan’s internal developments

Sunni organizations that work to impose Islamic law by force

Taliban is the most important of these organizations. It was founded in 2007 and has as many as 50,000 members. Most of these members are Pakistani Pashtuns. Some of the members are also Arab; Afghan; Chechen, and Uzbek. The Taliban especially target Pakistan and international coalition troops in the mountainous area northwestern Pakistan, along the border with Afghanistan.

The Taliban Islamic Movement in Pakistan, which was founded in 2011, is also another important terrorism organization active in Pakistan. This organization is made up of Taliban renegades who are led by Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani. This especially targets international coalition troops and Pakistan’s Shiites.

Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, which was founded in 1985, is also an important organization. It considers Shiites as non-Muslims. This movement targets the troops of the US-led coalition. It is most active in Pakistan’s eastern central region.

Groups connected with what happens inside Pakistan

Taliban Afghanistan is the most important group in this regard. It started fighting against Soviet troops since 1979. It was formed in the early 1990s and led by Mullah Omar. This movement succeeded in controlling the whole of Afghanistan in 1996. It lost this control only in 2001 when a US-led coalition started fighting against it. This happened after the 9/11 attacks. Taliban is most active in the tribal border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Al-Qaeda comes next in importance. It started as an anti-Soviet occupation force. In 1998, Osama bin Laden combined the members of this force into al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda swore allegiance to Taliban on the road to establishing an Islamic caliphate in Afghanistan. This organization targets American interests. It staged the 9/11 attacks. Its members then escaped to border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda continues to constitute a major danger to most countries.

Brigade 313 is an affiliate of al-Qaeda. It was founded in 2008 and staged a series of attacks against Pakistan.

Ethnic and tribal groups

Several separatist groups are active in Pakistan. One of these groups works to establish an independent state for Pakistan’s Baloch tribe in both Pakistan and Pakistan. In some respects, this group is similar to most terrorist organizations active in Pakistan.

Lashkar-e-Balochistan, which was founded in 2012, is the most important of these groups. This group is hostile to organizations that work for the independence of Balochistan. It staged several attacks against NATO troops in Pakistan. It depends on kidnappings to finance its operations. This group is led by Javed Mengal.

Groups connected with Pakistan-Indian conflicts

Most of the groups in this category are Sunni. They target Indian interests and work for the liberation of Kashmir region.

Lashkar-e-Taiba is the most outstanding of these groups. It was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in the Punjab region. Some academics find links between this group and the Pakistani intelligence agency. The group is accused of standing behind the Mumbai attacks in 2008.

Jaish-e-Mohammed is an equally important group. This group was founded in 2000. It is also headquartered in the Punjab region.

Hizbul Mujahideen was founded in 1980. It is the military arm of the Islam Group in Pakistan.