Criminal nexus

A brazen attack on police by a terror nexus in Kohat has led to the martyrdom of 11 policemen, including a DSP, along with injuries to scores of others. This is the first major upheaval since Governor's rule was imposed in the province, citing lawlessness as the root cause behind the contested decision. This incident, however, has a new dimension: collusion between the TTP and a cartel of illegal gold miners. On the surface, it seems to be a criminal alliance between the militants and their abettors, yet deeper scrutiny hints at a plot to defame Pakistan just as it is showcasing its mineral potential to the world at large in pursuit of big-ticket investments.

The fact that heavy retaliatory firing continued from the terrorists even after police intervention hints at a bigger plot and deep-rooted collaboration. It also confirms a serious security lapse and intelligence failure, as this unholy alliance had been operating for quite some time while the authorities remained clueless about it. This demands genuine groundwork and coordination among federal, provincial and military institutions to ensure such setbacks are not repeated in the future. While the government has vowed to exterminate the nexus, dealing with it purely through kinetic means remains a challenge as the political apparatus faces a breakdown in the province.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's spike in terrorism has a direct connection with the evolving geopolitical shifts across its western frontier. The adamant attitude of the Kabul regime and its failure to crack down on such unscrupulous elements are now taking a toll inside Pakistan. These non-state actors clearly have links with foreign intelligence agencies, and the meddling of Afghanistan and India is no secret. Thus, their new targeting of Pakistan's tangible assets must become a point of concern, inviting concrete action against terrorists rather than playing to the gallery for domestic consumption.