Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan is going through a complex phase of its history where it is the target of foreign-funded digital terrorism led by elements like PTI, physical terrorism conducted by TTP, and economic terrorism propelled from Afghanistan. Strangely, data analysis suggests that all three elements negotiate with each other. A terrible economic pressure faced by a common citizen and threats looming around is resulting in a feeling of insecurity that every patriotic citizen of the country is facing and is becoming patient of an existential crisis.
A review of events that took place in the last 10 days shows that no harmful event was taking place independently rather all were interlaced and all three factors (digital terrorism; physical terrorism and economic terrorism) cannot be seen individualistically as they are deeply connected.
On July 22, 2024, TTP blew up the building of the Government Girls Model School Fazal Elahikot in Mir Ali village. In addition to this, Meerajan (age 51, resident of Malazai Tank), who had been teaching for 26 years, was martyred by TTP’s terrorists. The targeting of schools and government buildings by the TTP and the killing of teachers show that the recent secret call of Noor Wali Mehsud who lives in Afghanistan has already begun implementation. TTP in 2010-2015 had been blowing up schools and targeting teachers and children and the APS Peshawar incident was one of the most brutal of such incidents. The sacrifice of Aitzaz Hasan Bangah is another example of the brutality of TTP and the sacrifices of the Pakistani nation that had been fighting against terrorism but alas PTI government invited and resettled terrorists in Pakistan during its tenure. On 6 January 2014, while preventing a suicide bomber from entering a school in Hangu village, Aitzaz Hasan traded his life with the lives of more than 2,000 students who were attending classes at the time of the incident. The school was later renamed Aitzaz Hasan Shaheed High School. His death anniversary is observed annually throughout Pakistan on 6 January.
Now TTP is doing the same acts without any administrative checks because the law and order situation is the responsibility of the provincial government of KP which is apparently helping terrorists to conduct their operations. The recent martyrdom of innocent men, women, and children by the TTP indicates that by design provincial law enforcement agencies like Police and district administration have no interest in contesting terrorists. Attacking schools and public welfare centers and targeting innocent people is proof that people are rejecting the so-called sharia of TTP that by force is trying to implement and kill whosoever refuses to accept their Khawarji concepts. The extremist ideologies of the Afghan Taliban and the TTP are two sides of the same coin while the PTI provincial government is working as a facilitator. The provincial government is responsible for public order, so it is the responsibility of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to protect government property, especially schools. Among those who are behind this wave of unrest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are all those elements who are against the Azm-e-Istehkam initiative.
According to information coming from Kabul, Noor Wali Mehsud is involved in the cowardly terrorist attacks on girls’ school in Tank District and the murder of an innocent teacher and he has the full support of the Afghan Taliban.
There are co-relations between TTP and PTI as both target the Pakistan Army and the interests of Pakistan. It is worth considering that in the events of May 9, 2023, Imran Khan incited his workers to attack the Pakistan Army but later he said that he had nothing to do with the May 9 incidents. However, truth always comes out and now he during an informal chat with reporters at Adiala Jail admitted that he had given the call for ‘a peaceful protest’ in front of the GHQ in view of his expected arrest. Here this question is of utmost importance that earlier he had been denying this. One of the reasons for this acceptance was to avoid the May 9, vandalism case against him because he now established that he called for ‘peaceful protest’ because he could not deny his involvement in instructing his followers to attack GHQ. Now he will say the protest went wrong and protestors by themselves got involved in unruly acts and he was not responsible for their acts. He is a very cunning person and his handlers sitting abroad keep providing him with narrative material to keep him safe from legal complexities.
Unfortunately to say that he keeps creating political chaos while his provincial government keeps providing ground support to terrorists for attacking the Pakistan Army and innocent civilians and instigating the public against the Pakistan Army and government. He alleged the state’s involvement in the Bannu incident to instigate the public against the Pakistan Army but abruptly withdrew allegations after the damage was already done and his followers broadcast that the state was involved in the Bannu incident. These are unique tactics in that he made accusations against politicians, the Pakistan Army, and even the United States and then withdrew himself from such allegations after the damage could have been done.
Since the press conference of DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif, the PTI has been targeting him because of his strongly targeted enemies of Pakistan, particularly TTP and its linkages. Lt. General Ahmed Sharif discussed many important points during his press conference, during which the operational performance of the Pakistan Army against terrorism was presented. This year, security forces conducted 22,409 intelligence-based operations, 31 most wanted terrorists were also killed during operations, and agencies are conducting 112 operations daily. During these operations, 137 officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army were martyred while 398 terrorists were sent to hell.
DG ISPR stressed the importance of stability in the face of illegal activities and their negative effects and said that Afghanistan shares borders with six countries, out of which five countries have access through passports except Pakistan. Why is the border of Pakistan being kept as a soft border based on ID cards? When the government implemented the One Document Regime (Passport), the mafia started protesting against it. The protestors had only one demand, let us do smuggling. This mafia is licking the country’s economy like a termite and is directly or indirectly linked with terrorism in Pakistan.
The key points of DG ISPR’s press conference, which discussed propaganda and illegal activities, drew the usual immediate negative reaction from PTI’s Umar Ayub and Asad Qaiser. There are some facts about this negative reaction of Umar Ayub and Asad Qaiser which are very important to bring forward. Umar Ayub may not remember that the question he is raising today has been answered in detail by DG ISPR with evidence in his previous press conferences. DG ISPR said in his press conference on May 7, 2024 that border management cannot be foolproof in any two countries. It is not necessary that a wall should be erected and technology should be used, monitoring, and sensors should also be installed, despite this, illegal activities take place even between Mexico and the United States.
Another important point made clear by DG ISPR is that border management is not unilateral but bilateral. Both countries (Pakistan and Afghanistan) have to manage it and share the responsibility to maintain its security. Do not allow smuggling, do not allow illegal activities, and keep traffic only at the crossing point. Various agencies are responsible for preventing smuggling at the border, such as customs, levies, and local administrations that ensure border crossings and the role of the military is to ensure its security. Since the crackdown on illicit economic activity, Iranian oil smuggling has dropped from around 15 million liters to only around five million liters. Afghanistan’s total imports are about 8 billion dollars and exports are only 1.5 billion dollars, most of the imported goods are smuggled back to Pakistan through the Afghan Transit Trade (ATA). Despite these facts, the negative propaganda by PTI is a clog of the same chain that DG ISPR has also pointed out in his recent press conference. He provided examples of how this propaganda is linked with foreign elements sitting mostly in the Western world and harming Pakistan through their foot soldiers like TTP and PTI.
