Terrorism and its epicentre

Afghanistan’s terror nexus demands decisive, united action as Pakistan faces rising attacks and infiltration

Tuesday's press conference by the military spokesperson has laid bare the ground realities in terms of terrorism, stating the obvious: Afghanistan is the epicentre of revulsion. The DG ISPR, in a comprehensive overview of counterterrorism, said that Afghans were involved in "high-impact" terror incidents in Pakistan resulting in more than 1,235 civilian and law-enforcers casualties. He said 75,175 IBOs were conducted in the year 2025, which witnessed 5,397 terror incidents. He also pointed out that while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has been the theatre of lawlessness, it owes its genesis to political deficiencies as compared to other regions of the country. The statistics speak for themselves, and the estimate that more than 2,500 terrorists had infiltrated from across the western frontiers necessitates a more decisive approach to overcome this menace.

The armed forces, being at the vanguard of fighting the terror nexus, deserve commendation. The need of the hour is to reorient the policy and make it organic and responsive to the core. The K-P government's criticism of the kinetic approach adopted to stem the rising tide of terrorism is unwarranted and must be revisited. High-profile terror activities can only be dealt with militarily, and there can be no blinking in this regard. However, it is also mandated that the policy of counterterrorism must have an across-the-board consensus, and the federal government should lead from the front in taking along the federating units for ensuring that the strategy is tactical and apolitical. Flushing out the sleeper cells and going after the abettors cannot be delayed any further, and it would be a win-win equation if the locals are taken on board.

The findings of the UN rapporteur and the concern from the regional states on Afghanistan simmering with terror elements cannot be ignored. The onus is on Kabul to fulfil the commitment, made as part of the Doha Accord, to exterminate the unscrupulous elements operating from the Afghan soil. Pakistan, however, reserves the right in self-defence to go after the terror nexus under a preemptive strategy, and carry out combing operations at home too.