Faisal Ahmad
Pakistan is once again confronted with an ugly reality: terrorism is on the rise. In recent months, violence has gripped Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan with renewed ferocity. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) have all resurfaced with alarming momentum. Their strength lies not only in sanctuaries across the Afghan border but also in the cracks within Pakistan’s political and social fabric. Unless the country confronts both dimensions, this new wave will be harder to extinguish.
The seeds of today’s crisis were sown years ago through miscalculated policies of appeasement. The previous PTI government under Imran Khan initiated dialogue with the TTP despite the group’s track record of massacres. That policy gave militants breathing room. Pakistan got regrouped terrorists who were preparing for their next offensive. The continuation of this posture by the current PTI-led KP government has left counter-terrorism operations without political clarity is weakening the very resolve needed to confront militancy.
Counter-terrorism requires a unified narrative. Yet Pakistan has struggled to protect its hard-earned consensus. PTI’s soft-pedaling on the TTP and the rhetoric of PTM, which brands counter-terrorism efforts as a “Dollar War,” erode public confidence. Such slogans might be politically convenient, but they feed extremist propaganda and confuse ordinary citizens.
The sacrifices of Pakistan’s martyrs are thus undermined, and militants exploit these divisions to project themselves as an alternative force. The regional dimension cannot be ignored. Since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan has faced a surge of cross-border infiltration. A large number of fighters entering Pakistan are Afghan Taliban elements working closely with the TTP.
This year alone, over 120 Afghan nationals fighting alongside TTP have been killed inside Pakistan. Intelligence further confirms the existence of dozens of terrorist bases operating openly from Afghan soil. Yet the Afghan Interim Government continues to deny or stage superficial actions that do little to disrupt these networks. In effect, Kabul’s soil remains a launchpad for violence against Pakistan.
Another bitter reality is the misuse of Afghan refugee networks. For decades, Pakistan carried the burden of hosting millions of refugees. That goodwill has been exploited by groups like TTP and ISKP for recruitment, financing, and logistics. Despite clear evidence, the process of organized repatriation has stalled, largely due to political resistance-especially from the PTI-led KP government, which cites Afghan unpreparedness. Thus, Pakistan’s hospitality has been turned against its own people. Beyond external factors, domestic divisions remain the terrorists’ greatest advantage.
PTI, PTM, and ANP regularly question counter-terrorism operations, amplifying doubts and confusion. Such political opportunism weakens public resilience. Terrorists, aware of this environment, increasingly exploit civilians as shields, making security operations more complex and morally difficult. Unity is not a luxury-it is a necessity in this fight.
Pakistan’s fight against terrorism cannot be reduced to military campaigns. A long-term strategy must be multidimensional: Every party must commit to a zero-tolerance policy. No appeasement, no mixed messaging. Diplomatic and multilateral pressure must compel Kabul to dismantle sanctuaries.
Phased but firm repatriation is a national security requirement, not a choice. Extremist propaganda thrives when politics is divisive. The duplicity of PTI, PTM, and ANP must be confronted with facts, while people of KP and Balochistan see tangible development and integration. Militants and their sympathizers-whether on the battlefield or online-must face swift accountability.
Pakistan has fought this war before and paid an enormous price in blood. The current resurgence of TTP, BLA, and ISKP is a reminder that terrorism mutates but never disappears on its own. Appeasement, unwise policies, and political missteps have already cost us dearly. What needed now is clarity, courage, and above all, unity. A whole-of-nation approach is the only shield against this storm. Without it, peace will remain elusive, and the sacrifices of our martyrs will ring hollow.
The writer is an alumnus of QAU, MPhil scholar & a freelance columnist, based in Islamabad. He can be reached at fa7263125@gmail.com.
