'TTP is Pakistani problem, created by its own wars, policies, and deals'
Islamabad, July 5
The core of the dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, is a problem of Islamabad, which was created by Pakistan's own wars, policies, deals, betrayals and ideological infrastructure, according to a report.
According to Pakistan, the TTP operates from the territory of Afghanistan with the protection or at least toleration of the Afghan Taliban, while Kabul denies this and calls the TTP Pakistan's internal problem.
"The TTP is indeed a Pakistani problem, created by Pakistan's own wars, policies, deals, betrayals and ideological infrastructure. But it is also true that the Afghan Taliban's victory gave the TTP oxygen, space, prestige, and morale. A movement that had survived in fragments suddenly saw its ideological cousins conquer Kabul. The message to every militant along the frontier was simple: patience works, jihad pays, the Americans leave, and states can be defeated," the Stringer Asia report said.
It said that the dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan is not over TTP and its sanctuaries across the Durand Line but the collapse of Pakistan's strategic fantasy where Pakistan could outsource instability, manufacture Jihad and install ideological clients in Kabul.
"Pakistan is now asking the Afghan Taliban to do what Pakistan itself never did sincerely: dismantle a jihadist asset because it destabilises a neighbouring state. The irony is almost perfect. For decades, Islamabad asked the world to distinguish between useful and dangerous militants, between those who served Pakistani interests and those who attacked Pakistan. Now it faces a regime in Kabul that makes similar distinctions," the report noted.
According to the report, Pakistan's bombing of Afghanistan gives the Taliban a gift: nationalism, which can be a useful resource for the Taliban given their current situation in Kabul.
"The Pakistani state is now trapped in a triangle of its own making. Against Afghanistan, it wants coercive leverage. Against the TTP, it wants military victory. Against its own population, especially Pashtuns, it wants obedience and silence. But these three objectives collide. Bombing Afghanistan inflames Pashtun anger. Cracking down in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa feeds alienation. Deporting Afghans strengthens anti-Pakistan sentiment in Kabul. Closing the border damages local economies and creates more resentment. Blaming everything on Afghanistan hides the domestic roots of the TTP but does nothing to remove them," the report said.
The report emphasised that Islamabad is fighting the consequences of its own imagination. Pakistani security is being torn open with blowback from the West, which is no longer its depth.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As an Indian watching this from across the border, I feel for the common Pakistani citizen. They suffer the most while their military plays these dangerous games. The report is spot on - you can't create jihadists for one purpose and then complain when they turn on you. Pakistan's Pashtun population is bearing the brunt of this policy failure. India has always said terrorism knows no borders, and now we see it playing out in real time. 🙏
The irony is staggering. Pakistan spent decades playing the 'jihad card' in Afghanistan and Kashmir, and now they can't control the Frankenstein monster they created. The TTP is a textbook example of blowback. The report's point about Pakistan bombing Afghanistan and giving the Taliban nationalism as a gift is particularly sharp. You can't solve a problem by making it worse. Maybe it's time for Islamabad to admit that the 2-state solution is the only way forward for South Asia...
Living in Punjab, I've seen how our own policies have fueled extremism. The parallels with Pakistan's situation are interesting - both countries have used religion for political purposes. But at least we've learned from our mistakes. Pakistan still seems stuck in a time loop. The report highlights how deporting Afghans creates more problems than it solves. That's something India can relate to with our own refugee situations. Need more regional cooperation, not more conflict!
Reading this as someone who has studied South Asian security, I find the report's analysis very accurate. Pakistan's strategic culture has always prioritized 'deniable assets' - proxies they think they can control. But the TTP shows what happens when those proxies develop their own momentum. The 'blowback from the West' phrase is key - 9/11 was partly the result of America supporting the mujahideen. History repeating itself in Pakistan's backyard.
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