Pakistan seeks to rein in terrorism and political differences internally and externally

Mostafa Mohamed

During the first year after the Afghan Taliban took over the reins of power in Afghanistan, its Pakistani neighbor witnessed a rise in the rate of terrorist operations by 51%, at a time when the ruling movement in Afghanistan is still clinging to its refusal to recognize a border line with Pakistan called the Durand Line, one of Islamabad’s favorite border lines.

Increased rate of terrorism

Pakistan witnessed an increase in the number of terrorist attacks by 51% during the first year of the Taliban assuming power in Afghanistan. In the latest development, border clashes broke out between Pakistani forces and elements of the Pakistani Taliban in mid-March over a hideout of the Pakistani movement’s elements in the south of the city of Waziristan.

Since January, the Pakistani movement has intensified its terrorist operations, the most prominent of which was the terrorist attack launched on a mosque in the city of Peshawar, in addition to their claim of another attack in Khuzdar, Balochistan.

A study by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) confirmed that during the first year of the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan, the rates of terrorist operations increased. Between August 15, 2021 and August 14, 2022, more than 2,000 people were killed, even within Afghanistan, due to the security instability there.

Durand Line

Since taking over the rule of Afghanistan, the movement has not cooperated with Islamabad in several files, most notably the border demarcation file, and it also controls the activity of extremist militants on Pakistani territory, led by elements of the ISIS Khorasan branch and the Pakistani Taliban.

Despite the adherence of the Afghan Taliban movement to its refusal to recognize the border line that Islamabad prefers and to cooperate with it to stop terrorism there, the Afghan movement fears the occurrence of splits within due to much talk recently about the emergence of wings within the Afghan Taliban that are less subject to the influence of the military and political institutions in Pakistan.

Instead of responding to the demands of the Pakistani neighbor, the Taliban contented themselves with playing a mediating role between Islamabad and the Pakistani movement, which resulted in a ceasefire agreement in June 2022. But this quickly fell after about five months, when the Pakistani movement announced its intention to resume attacks throughout Pakistan and accused Islamabad of assassinating one of its senior commanders, Omar Khorasani, who was killed in an explosion in eastern Afghanistan.

Hudhaifa Ahmed, a researcher of Pakistani affairs, confirmed in statements to the Reference that the number of terrorist groups has increased in Afghanistan, specifically in the northern provinces of Badakhshan, Kunduz, Takhar and other provinces.

Ahmed pointed out that the Pakistani terrorist movement seeks to include more elements in its ranks, which makes it more difficult for the Pakistani army, considering the Taliban’s insistence on not recognizing the Durand Line to curb terrorism.

Regarding the increase in terrorist operations, Ahmed explained that there are concerns inside Pakistan, most notably the budget, the next political situation, and the situation of combating terrorism and Tehrik-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Pakistani Taliban).