A visible uptick in low-intensity insurgencies in Balochistan and tribal areas of Khyber Pahktunkhawa during the last few days is perplexing. Only on 19 June, 2022, 10 persons including terrorists were killed in Balochistan in separate incidents. According to ISPR, six militants affiliated with Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) were killed in exchange of fire at their hideout during a search operation in Zamran Range of Paroorm area in Panjgur district. Heavy cache of weapons and explosive were recovered from their possession. Two police constables – Noor Khan Bahreni and Babul Khan Kanrani were killed by unidentified armed motorcyclists during attack on Mandrani checkpost in Dera Allahyar area of Jaffarabad district. They fled away after taking official AK-47 rifles of the officials. Two persons – Haditatullah and Nasir were gunned down by unidentified persons on National Highway near Wadh area in Khuzdar district. Prior to these, the incidents of abduction of four employees including two engineers of a coal mine company in Hanna Eurak area near Quetta and killing of four labourers by unidentified armed persons in a construction company camp of Harnai district took place on 15 and 17 June respectively. On 20 June, two labourers, Muhammad Imran and Hanif, hailing from Sindh province were shot dead by four unidentified armed motorcyclists in Hoshab area of Kech district. The deceased were working in road project linking Hoshab with Turbat. On the same day, a Naib Tehsildar Abdul Sattar of Qila Abdullah was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Babi Nani area of Sariab Road, Quetta. All these incidents cannot be attributed to Baloch separatists as several other militant groups affiliated with TTP and IS-K, largely based in neighbouring countries, operate in these areas. They target security forces personnel, labourers and civilians associated with CPEC, construction projects, sectarian and minority communities. In the same manner, terrorist incidents were reported from KP. On 19 June, four persons – Waqar Dawar, Sunaid Dawar, Hamad Durani and Asadullah – were killed by unidentified persons in village Haiderkhel in Mirali tehsil of North Waziristan tribal district. The deceased were volunteers and activists of an organization, Youth of Waziristan (pro liberal democratic), which was reportedly established after Operation Zarab-e-Azab in the area and its founder and president Noor ul Islam Dawar was killed in August last year by unidentified persons. No militant group has claimed responsibility of the incident, so far. The next day a police constable Quwat Khan was shot dead by unidentified motorcyclists at Sholbar Chowk in Bara town of Khyber tribal district. A police constable – Arbab – was killed and three other officials injured by unidentified gunmen travelling in a motor car at Iran check post in Chitral district. The assailants managed to their escape. The same day one person was shot dead and another injured by unidentified gunmen near Sada town in Kurram tribal district. Earlier on 15 June, three persons including chairman of a local peace council, Momin Khan, was killed and three others injured during an attack by unidentified assailants in Topkai village, near Sada town in the said district. The pattern of attacks indicates a similarity of modus operandi. The terrorists are targeting soft targets like labourers and police and government personnel. In Balochistan, after terrorist attacks on FC offices in Noshki and Turbet, etc, a few months ago, the security forces took adequate counter-measures which seem to have weakened the prowess of the terrorists to make serious large-scale attacks.
In KP, TTP and affiliated groups have adopted this strategy to target police personnel and in border areas the security forces’ personnel with IEDs and in ambushes. Even after truce with TTP, such attacks are taking place. Recently, a 52-member government jirga visited Kabul for peace talks with TTP, under the aegis of Afghan Taliban government. As per reports, TTP has agreed to a truce till the final outcome of the talks. However, some groups keep attacking the security forces without claiming the responsibility. It can be a planned move to keep the government under pressure to coerce it to accept its demands like reversal of the merger of semi-autonomous tribal areas into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP); withdrawal of all military presence from the tribal region; enforcement of Sharia Law in the Malakand region of KP; release of over 100 commanders and fighters; presidential pardon for two key militant commanders; and complete freedom of movement for the TTP members in the Malakand region. The government must not cave in to unreasonable demands of the terrorists and insurgents. Nevertheless, there is no harm in striving for peace through negotiated settlement with the approval of the parliament.
The LEAs, intelligence agencies and the government must understand that terrorists are maliciously malleable as they change their stance, form and modus operandi to avoid annihilation. The only constant variable in their strategy is their intent to kill and destroy, unless and until they surrender or are destroyed. In Pakistan the sectarian and jihadi parties changed their forms and nomenclature due to the state pressure on the sectarian extremists in 1990s and the Jihadis after 9/11. Their members gradually started joining Afghan Taliban and TTP and carried on with their activities under their umbrella. They run away under pressure and once the pressure diminishes, they start assembling again. This prolonged low-intensity insurgency, as is taking place in Balochistan and KP, can be dangerous and detrimental to the security of the state. It should be tackled and resolved as soon as possible. In this regard, a perennial question persists; where is the counter terrorism strategy? Why the National Action Plan is still shelved? How is the National Security Policy 2022 helping in controlling terrorism and insurgency.