Tackling terror

PM Shehbaz Sharif's Apex Committee meeting stresses zero tolerance on terrorism amid 2024 surge in violence.

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Friday's Apex Committee meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, reiterated Pakistan's resolve to tackle terrorism with "zero tolerance to Fitna al-Khawarij". The urgency of this civil-military huddle is undeniable. The year 2024 saw an alarming resurgence of terrorist activity, making it the deadliest year since 2014, when Pakistan was at the height of its battle against militancy. Much of this spike in violence has been attributed to the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, a development that has emboldened militant groups operating within Pakistan.

Regionally, the Afghan conundrum looms large. The withdrawal of NATO forces and the Taliban's ascendance in Kabul in 2021 provided ideological and logistical momentum to insurgent groups like the TTP, which has cost Pakistan severely and has strained relations on both sides of the Durand line. Domestically, the challenge is not just alarming but remains unacknowledged too. Southern parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have devolved into a hotbed of militant activity. Reports of TTP militants freely roaming certain areas expose governance voids. This is where Pakistan must move past its apparent fixation on external factors and confront its internal contradictions. The security apparatus must recognise that the problem is not just limited to Afghanistan's borders but exists within our soil too - manifested in unchecked militant activity, gaps in policy implementation and systemic denial. Moreover, neglect of socio-economic development in these regions has allowed extremist ideologies to flourish. Rebuilding state authority in these areas requires not just boots on the ground but schools, clinics and employment opportunities as well.

To root out militancy, the state must also look within and reclaim its writ in areas where it has ceded ground. A sustainable solution is in addressing both external provocations and the internal conditions that allow such groups to flourish.