Daily Times

On September 22, Pakistan was lucky to have escaped a major terrorism crisis, when the police van escorting the convoy of foreign diplomats bore the brunt of a bomb blast on Malam Jabba Road in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). The van transporting diplomats from eleven countries escaped unhurt.

Reportedly, foreign dignitaries from Indonesia, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Vietnam, Iran, Russia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina comprised the cavalcade. The diplomats were visiting the area to attend the Swat Tourism Summit at the request of the organizer, the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Hitherto, no terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, an accusing finger is pointed at the Tehreke Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is active in the area.

The incident raises a concern about the way Pakistan perceives the gravity of terrorism. In this regard, five reasons draw attention.

First, the incident speaks volumes about the failure of the foreign office to put in place a proper security mechanism for the safety of foreign diplomats. The attack was a security lapse. The foreign office sent a convoy of diplomats with a flawed security plan and with a minimum escort. It is known that Swat is a perilous area brimming with Islamic fundamentalists mostly affiliated with the TTP, which is now at war with Pakistan. The TTP has been attacking Pakistan’s security forces not only from within but also from across the western border with Afghanistan.

Any mishap could have shown to the world that Pakistan’s soil was not free of terrorist groups

Second, permitting foreign diplomats en masse to travel on the road was a decision tantamount to a blunder. Recently, using a suicide bomber, the TTP attacked a travelling van of Chinese engineers. The incident forced the Chinese to halt their work on a dam. China protested the incident with Pakistan. It seems that the protest fell on deaf ears in Pakistan. Otherwise, Pakistan would not have put in danger the lives of foreign diplomats, who just escaped because the remote-controlled improvised explosive device did not touch their vehicle. In such a case, there would have been a national disaster and mourning in Pakistan. Surprisingly, no vehicle having the facility of signal jammers was accompanying the convoy of diplomats, who just escaped a disaster.

Third, it seems that information was leaked from within the police department to the TTP operatives, who prefer attacking high-value targets. Perhaps, Pakistan is miscalculating the outreach of the TTP. Pakistan might be thinking that the TTP was specifically against the Chinese. Pakistan assumes that the TTP is backed by those countries which want to restrain China’s approach to Gwadar. Here, Pakistan overlooks the fact that the TTP is against anything meant to improve Pakistan politically (diplomatically) or financially. Any damage to foreign dignitaries would have cost Pakistan a lot in the sense of the loss of diplomatic goodwill, besides the credibility of safe and secure tourism. At the moment, it is just China that is complaining. Anyway, without an insider giving a tip-off to the TTP, the attack could not have happened.

Fourth, the incident was also an act of indiscretion of foreign diplomats to move around an area known for being infested with the TTP operatives. Moreover, it was known that, in 2022, the TTP had broken a ceasefire agreement with Pakistan’s government. The TTP was openly challenging Pakistan’s security forces in the province of KPK. Recently, an uptick in the TTP’s activities has been noticed. For the TTP, the winter is mostly a time for hibernation, whereas the summer is a time for activities. Foreign dignitaries must also be concerned about their safety, instead of exposing themselves to danger unnecessarily.

Fifth, Pakistan is underestimating the TTP’s potential to wreak havoc whenever an opportunity arises. It is heartening to know that, in the recent past, Pakistan’s security forces have launched a series of military operations to subdue the TTP threat, but the threat has gone latent. It is not over yet, especially after Pakistan installed a barbed wire along the border with Afghanistan. This act has given the TTP an excuse to raise the flag of ethnic nationalism, instead of accepting the reality of an international border. Now, the TTP’s attacks are both sporadic and random. Perhaps, this is why the TTP is highly selective in its targets.

Generally speaking, despite Pakistan’s efforts to reconcile with the TTP by entering into a peace or ceasefire agreement, the TTP is relentless in its intent and ferocity. The antagonism has reached the point that Munir Akram, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations, has recently told the Security Council that the TTP is an “umbrella organization” supporting several terrorist groups (such as al-Qaeda, Daesh, and Central Asian militants) in the region under the auspices of the Afghan Taliban ruling over Kabul.

In a way, Pakistan lodged an indirect complaint against the Kabul regime still harbouring varied Islamic militants. Pakistan says that Kabul has been overseeing a terrorist network which is dangerous not only for the region but also for the whole world. This point justifies the reason for which Pakistan and Afghan border security forces trade fire now almost regularly across the fence installed by Pakistan. However, the world is not paying any heed to Pakistan’s entreaties, even though the UN has not recognized the Afghan Taliban’s government in Kabul.

Presently, regarding the TTP, Pakistan’s preferences are two: first, the TTP does not hold any territory, as it used to control Swat and Waziristan in the past; and second, the TTP operatives do not cross the international boundary freely and unchecked.

Pakistan overlooks the fact that without complete submission of the TTP, the terrorist threat in the country’s northwest is lingering. Taking out foreign diplomats to such a volatile area was no short of a gaffe. Any mishap could have shown to the world that Pakistan’s soil was not free of terrorist groups and that Pakistan was incapable of subduing terrorism on its land. Certainly, Pakistan needs careful treading.

The writer is an analyst on National Security and Counter-Terrorism. She tweets @TA_Ranjha and can be reached at taranjha1@gmail.com