Over time Pakistan has frequently witnessed political instability. From long marches of political parties, protests, and contentions among politicians for power and whatnot. Moreover, Pakistan also faces a lot of social issues such as poverty, hunger, lack of education, clean water, etc. But one important point of unity that is shared by politicians, the nation and armed forces is Pakistan’s defence, specifically the nuclear arsenal. In power games between General Zia ul Haq and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, General Pervaiz Musharraf, and Nawaz Sharif, no state actor ever considered compromising the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. Even General Zia ul Haq and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto were ideologically and politically miles apart, but when it came to deterrence and formulating nuclear weapons, General Zia ul Haq carried the nuclear programme initiated by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Imran Khan and Pakistan Muslim League (N) have a hundred disagreements but got united when the US questioned the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arms. Hence, despite the West’s concerns regarding the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, the past and present have both proven that Pakistan, as a nation, stands united on its defence and deterrence capability. Pakistan is totally aware of the sensitivity and responsibility of containing the deadliest weapons. Even in situations of high tensions, it has always demonstrated a responsible and rational policy towards the regional actors and rival neighbours.
Pakistan needs to formulate a counter strategy, wherein the focus should be geared towards regional peace.
Talking about terrorism in Pakistan, the people have paid the price of the war on terror from their blood. Seeing the ground facts, terrorist outfits are still operational and the region continues to battle militancy. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is a byproduct of the war on terror. War on terror led to newer dimensions of rivalry in South Asia, already a victim of conflictual politics. Post 9/11, India enhanced its ingress in Afghanistan. The Indian consulate in Kandahar was actually a control room of all the terrorist activities organized by the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army. India constructed roads and communication lines in Afghanistan just for an easy flow of arms through the border. It is absurd that the ones responsible for terrorism in Pakistan are the same actors that are concerned about the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.
TTP is a security challenge for the entire region. In the past couple of months, Pakistan witnessed a sharp rise in terror incidents, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. In December 2022, a Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) compound in Bannu was attacked by TTP. Later, Pakistan Army conducted an operation and seized back control of the CTD compound. During the operation, 31 terrorists were detained. TTP militants demand safe passage to North and South Waziristan. Pakistan has rejected the demand. Muhammad Ali Saif, spokesman for the KP government has said: “the government will not accept the militants’ demands and stern action will be taken.”
US State Department’s Spokesman, Edward Price, while speaking at a weekly press conference in Washington, said: “The Pakistani people have suffered tremendously from terrorist attacks. Pakistan has a right to defend itself from terrorism. The US calls upon the Taliban to uphold the commitment they have made that Afghan soil will never be used as a launch pad for international terrorist attacks.”
The recent surge in terrorist attacks in Pakistan is likely to further weaken the economic condition. TTP’s involvement in terrorist attacks proves the involvement of regional quarters in destabilizing Pakistan. Pakistan needs to formulate a counter strategy, wherein the focus should be geared towards regional peace. Pakistan needs to highlight the anti-peace forces in South Asia and the attempts to sabotage regional connectivity. Besides, the situation in Afghanistan and the terrorist activities of TTP need a regional response. In particular, the Afghan government should cooperate with Pakistan against TTP. Pakistan should also reach out to Central Asia, China and Russia to deter the anti-peace elements in the region. The platform of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) can be utilized to gather regional support.
The writer is a student of Peace & Conflict Studies at the National Defence University (NDU); currently working as Research Intern at Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI).