Political distress in Pakistan, a boon for militants

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INTERNATIONAL DESK: The prevalent political disturbance in Pakistan upon the election of the new government, has proven to be beneficial for militants who have, till now staged 24 per cent more attacks on the authority as well as the civilians in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, causing concerns to the world community.

According to the Global conflict Tracker of the Center for Preventive Action of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), which keeps an eye out for ongoing conflicts around the world, concerning the United States, the rise in the number of attacks by the insurgents has been spreading its bases in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, says Portal Plus.

“The withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan could increase regional instability by allowing militants from Pakistan to establish a safe haven in Afghanistan,” said CPR. In addition, the persistent instability, Pakistan is facing could pose serious security implications in the neighboring countries of Afghanistan and India.

The primary reason for the attack pertains to the role of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which was banned from Pakistan and has now joined hands with the Taliban, who are also their ideological brothers, says Portal Plus. Further as per CFR reports, “The TTP is closely allied with the Afghan Taliban in its battle against Afghan troops…”

The data further mentions that “in April, militants carried out 34 attacks in which 55 people were killed, including 34 security forces personnel, 13 civilians and eight militants. As many as 25 people were injured including 11 security personnel and 14 civilians. The militants had carried out 26 attacks across the country in March 2022 in which 115 people were killed and 288 were injured.”

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) confirmed that most of the attacks carried out by the militants occurred in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan also witnessed similar attacks as well. There were 6 militant attacks in FATA, coupled with 10 attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing 17 people, and four militant attacks in Balochistan causing the deaths of one security official and one civilian says Portal Plus.

Notably, the average number of militant attacks in Pakistan ascended from 16 in 2020 to 25 in 2021, the highest in number after 2017. The CFR data reveals that militancy can be expected not just between Pakistan and Afghanistan but also between Pakistan and China as well which is quite evident from the attack on Karachi University where a woman suicide bomber was involved in the killings of three Chinese nationals. (ANI)