ISLAMABAD: Top Pakistani officials have said that Afghan Taliban are directly abetting terrorism in Pakistan, the Khorasandiary reported. The rise of new militant factions, together with the emergence of alliances between former rival groups like the TTP and Hafiz Gul Bahadur; and, TTP and Lashkar-e-Islam are posing serious security challenges to the Pakistani security. This challenge is particularly concerning as the Pakistani officials attributes these developments, largely, to the Afghan Taliban, specifically the Haqqani network.
The evidence by top Pakistani officials against the involvement of Afghan Taliban is spread over hundreds of paper documents that include the settlement of banned TTP fighters in the North of Afghanistan by the 218 Umari Corps and its many cells providing help to the TTP inside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan and provinces of Pakistan. “The state of affairs cannot continue the way they currently are,” a Pakistani official with direct knowledge told The Khorasan Diary, on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak to the media. The spiral of violence is steadily becoming murkier with at least 11 newer militant entities emerging or re-emerging in this triangle of threats between Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran, the Khorasandiary reported.
“Afghan Taliban Directly Abetting Terrorism in Pakistan,” Say Top Pakistani Officials
The report said that two key factions of the Pakistani Taliban, the banned TTP, and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group are growingly inclined to such a “decentralized” outlook as well, by outsourcing its operations to organization earlier entirely unknown.
To understand the dynamics of militant groups in a better fashion, The Khorasan Diary has divided the functioning of the TTP into two phases. Between 2007 and 2018, the TTP initially resembled a conventional tribal-based, ragtag Jihadist militia. But over time, it transformed into a vengeful entity, conducting indiscriminate, widespread attacks against civilians and security forces alike.
The report said, “As we move ahead in time from August 15, 2021, the approach of militant organizations seems to be centralized command with decentralized operations.
TTP’s second phase commenced when its current leader, Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, took control of the organization as its new head. He reshaped the TTP by aligning it with the guidelines of the Afghan Taliban, moving away from targeting civilian population.
To deal with this situation, two distinct strategies emerge for the Pakistani authorities: one, seeking kinetic action, potentially including cross-border operations into Afghanistan against Pakistani Taliban groups, while the other prefers resolving the situation through talks, primarily engaging with the Afghan Taliban.
However, the Pakistani Taliban are taking advantage of this situation to further their own interests and agenda. While the Afghan Taliban have denied any connivance when it comes to the banned TTP, until the bombing at the Peshawar police lines, Islamabad did not directly blame the Afghan Taliban but there is considerable proof that Pakistan believes the Afghan Taliban are helping the TTP, the Khorasandiary reported.
