December 16 holds dual significance for Pakistan. It’s a grim reminder of two national tragedies: the 1971 dismemberment of East Pakistan and the 2014 Army Public School (APS) attack in Peshawar. The latter, in which over 140 innocent lives—most of them children—were mercilessly claimed by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), remains one of the darkest chapters in our history. Beyond the horror of that day, however, lies a complex web of militant alliances that demand attention as terrorism resurges, especially in the shadow of the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.
In the aftermath of the tragedy of the APS attack, the National Action Plan (NAP) was introduced with great urgency, focusing on kinetic and non-kinetic measures to counter-terrorism. While certain steps, such as military courts and lifting the moratorium on the death penalty, were implemented swiftly, the deeper ideological and structural reforms necessary for sustainable success have been sporadic at best. A decade later, terrorism not only persists but has evolved in complexity, fueled by the unsettling nexus of militant organizations operating within and outside Pakistan.
The Web of Alliances
While Pakistan has long grappled with terrorism, particularly sectarian and ethnic violence during the 1980s and 1990s, the situation intensified in the 2000s following the United States invasion of Afghanistan. The emergence of terrorist groups like the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in late 2007 led to widespread violence, resulting in countless casualties.
The TTP has resurfaced as the principal antagonist in Pakistan’s fight against terrorism, its strength bolstered by ideological and logistical ties to the Afghan Taliban. Despite public assurances from Kabul’s interim government that Afghan soil will not be used against Pakistan, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Safe havens for the TTP have flourished in Afghanistan, enabling the group to launch cross-border attacks with impunity. Reports indicate an alarming increase in attacks within Pakistan, with 2024 alone witnessing over 900 fatalities due to terrorism.
Equally concerning is the growing alignment between the TTP and other extremist organizations like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). The BLA, traditionally rooted in ethnic insurgency, has found common cause with the TTP in destabilizing Pakistan, while ISKP, though ideologically at odds with the Afghan Taliban, poses a broader regional threat. ISKP’s activities, including high-profile assassinations and attacks in Afghanistan, signal its ambition to exploit chaos in the region. This shared goal of destabilizing Pakistan makes these groups—despite their ideological differences—potent allies.
The Afghan Fallout
The Taliban’s return to power in Kabul has been a double-edged sword for regional security. While their rise was heralded as the end of prolonged conflict, it has, paradoxically, created a vacuum for transnational terrorist groups to regroup and expand their operations. Afghanistan has become a haven for entities like Al-Qaeda, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), alongside the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). The unchecked presence of these groups poses severe implications for both regional and global security, with Pakistan bearing the brunt of their coordinated assaults.
ISKP, in particular, has demonstrated its capacity to challenge the Afghan Taliban’s authority, carrying out targeted attacks against Shia communities, foreign nationals, and high-ranking AIG officials. Notable incidents, such as the bombing near Kabul’s foreign ministry and the assassination of Khalil Haqqani, underscore ISKP’s growing operational sophistication. This volatile environment compounds Pakistan’s security challenges, as these groups exploit Afghanistan’s instability to further their agendas.
Pakistan’s Counterterrorism and Sectarian Challenges under NAP
Following the National Action Plan (NAP)’s adoption, Pakistan launched aggressive measures against armed groups, targeting their networks and financing. Operations like Zarb-i-Azb (2014) and Raddul Fasaad (2017) dismantled terror infrastructure, banned over 82 organizations, and disrupted financial networks. Yet, enforcement gaps remain as groups frequently rebrand or splinter. For instance, Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), banned in 2002, reappeared under new names and continues to influence politics.
Under FATF pressure, Pakistan established the Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) in 2017 to combat terror financing, achieving significant gains.
NAP aimed to curb sectarian violence too, yet progress has been mixed. While groups like Lashkar-i-Jhangvi have weakened, sectarian tensions persist, especially in regions like Kurram, where disputes over land fuel violent clashes. This year’s violence in Kurram was largely tied to such disputes rather than ideological conflicts.
The rise of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) poses another challenge. Initially supported for political advantages, TLP now wields significant influence, leveraging public sentiment on blasphemy issues to expand its political and religious reach.
Efforts like Paigham-i-Pakistan to counter sectarianism have faltered due to geopolitical dynamics and entrenched domestic issues. Although sectarian violence has declined, the possibility of a potential resurgence by groups like Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and IS-Khorasan Province persists.
The Path Forward
While military operations have provided temporary respite, the enduring solution lies in addressing the structural and ideological roots of extremism. The NAP, though well-intentioned, requires renewed vigor and comprehensive implementation. Key priorities should include:
- Revamping Counterterrorism Infrastructure: Strengthening institutions like NACTA and provincial Counter-Terrorism Departments (CTDs) through adequate funding, training, and inter-agency coordination.
- Ideological Counter-Narratives: Collaborating with religious scholars and educators to delegitimize extremist ideologies and promote tolerance through revised curricula and community outreach programs.
- Border Management: Enhancing surveillance and security along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to prevent cross-border infiltration and the establishment of safe havens.
- Economic Development in Vulnerable Regions: Addressing sociopolitical grievances in marginalized areas through targeted economic investments and genuine political engagement.
- International Diplomacy: Mobilizing global pressure on Afghanistan’s interim government to dismantle terror networks operating on its soil.
Conclusion
The APS attack was not just a tragedy but a wake-up call. Its memory must serve as a catalyst for decisive and sustained action against terrorism. The resurgence of militant organizations, emboldened by their nexus and the Afghan Taliban’s return, demands a united front. Pakistan’s security, stability, and sovereignty depend on confronting this menace with an integrated strategy that transcends military action and addresses the underlying drivers of extremism. Only then can we hope to honor the memory of those lost in the APS attack on December 16, 2014, by ensuring that such darkness never descends upon the nation again.
SAT Commentaries’ are social media threads by various authors, reproduced here for website use. Views are their own.
Pakistan’s Dark December: A Decade After the APS Attack
December 16 holds dual significance for Pakistan. It’s a grim reminder of two national tragedies: the 1971 dismemberment of East Pakistan and the 2014 Army Public School (APS) attack in Peshawar. The latter, in which over 140 innocent lives—most of them children—were mercilessly claimed by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), remains one of the darkest chapters in our history. Beyond the horror of that day, however, lies a complex web of militant alliances that demand attention as terrorism resurges, especially in the shadow of the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.
In the aftermath of the tragedy of the APS attack, the National Action Plan (NAP) was introduced with great urgency, focusing on kinetic and non-kinetic measures to counter-terrorism. While certain steps, such as military courts and lifting the moratorium on the death penalty, were implemented swiftly, the deeper ideological and structural reforms necessary for sustainable success have been sporadic at best. A decade later, terrorism not only persists but has evolved in complexity, fueled by the unsettling nexus of militant organizations operating within and outside Pakistan.
The Web of Alliances
While Pakistan has long grappled with terrorism, particularly sectarian and ethnic violence during the 1980s and 1990s, the situation intensified in the 2000s following the United States invasion of Afghanistan. The emergence of terrorist groups like the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in late 2007 led to widespread violence, resulting in countless casualties.
The TTP has resurfaced as the principal antagonist in Pakistan’s fight against terrorism, its strength bolstered by ideological and logistical ties to the Afghan Taliban. Despite public assurances from Kabul’s interim government that Afghan soil will not be used against Pakistan, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Safe havens for the TTP have flourished in Afghanistan, enabling the group to launch cross-border attacks with impunity. Reports indicate an alarming increase in attacks within Pakistan, with 2024 alone witnessing over 900 fatalities due to terrorism.
Equally concerning is the growing alignment between the TTP and other extremist organizations like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). The BLA, traditionally rooted in ethnic insurgency, has found common cause with the TTP in destabilizing Pakistan, while ISKP, though ideologically at odds with the Afghan Taliban, poses a broader regional threat. ISKP’s activities, including high-profile assassinations and attacks in Afghanistan, signal its ambition to exploit chaos in the region. This shared goal of destabilizing Pakistan makes these groups—despite their ideological differences—potent allies.
The Afghan Fallout
The Taliban’s return to power in Kabul has been a double-edged sword for regional security. While their rise was heralded as the end of prolonged conflict, it has, paradoxically, created a vacuum for transnational terrorist groups to regroup and expand their operations. Afghanistan has become a haven for entities like Al-Qaeda, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), alongside the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). The unchecked presence of these groups poses severe implications for both regional and global security, with Pakistan bearing the brunt of their coordinated assaults.
ISKP, in particular, has demonstrated its capacity to challenge the Afghan Taliban’s authority, carrying out targeted attacks against Shia communities, foreign nationals, and high-ranking AIG officials. Notable incidents, such as the bombing near Kabul’s foreign ministry and the assassination of Khalil Haqqani, underscore ISKP’s growing operational sophistication. This volatile environment compounds Pakistan’s security challenges, as these groups exploit Afghanistan’s instability to further their agendas.
Pakistan’s Counterterrorism and Sectarian Challenges under NAP
Following the National Action Plan (NAP)’s adoption, Pakistan launched aggressive measures against armed groups, targeting their networks and financing. Operations like Zarb-i-Azb (2014) and Raddul Fasaad (2017) dismantled terror infrastructure, banned over 82 organizations, and disrupted financial networks. Yet, enforcement gaps remain as groups frequently rebrand or splinter. For instance, Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), banned in 2002, reappeared under new names and continues to influence politics.
Under FATF pressure, Pakistan established the Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) in 2017 to combat terror financing, achieving significant gains.
NAP aimed to curb sectarian violence too, yet progress has been mixed. While groups like Lashkar-i-Jhangvi have weakened, sectarian tensions persist, especially in regions like Kurram, where disputes over land fuel violent clashes. This year’s violence in Kurram was largely tied to such disputes rather than ideological conflicts.
The rise of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) poses another challenge. Initially supported for political advantages, TLP now wields significant influence, leveraging public sentiment on blasphemy issues to expand its political and religious reach.
Efforts like Paigham-i-Pakistan to counter sectarianism have faltered due to geopolitical dynamics and entrenched domestic issues. Although sectarian violence has declined, the possibility of a potential resurgence by groups like Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and IS-Khorasan Province persists.
The Path Forward
While military operations have provided temporary respite, the enduring solution lies in addressing the structural and ideological roots of extremism. The NAP, though well-intentioned, requires renewed vigor and comprehensive implementation. Key priorities should include:
Conclusion
The APS attack was not just a tragedy but a wake-up call. Its memory must serve as a catalyst for decisive and sustained action against terrorism. The resurgence of militant organizations, emboldened by their nexus and the Afghan Taliban’s return, demands a united front. Pakistan’s security, stability, and sovereignty depend on confronting this menace with an integrated strategy that transcends military action and addresses the underlying drivers of extremism. Only then can we hope to honor the memory of those lost in the APS attack on December 16, 2014, by ensuring that such darkness never descends upon the nation again.
SAT Commentaries’ are social media threads by various authors, reproduced here for website use. Views are their own.
SAT Commentary
SAT Commentary
SAT Commentaries, a collection of insightful social media threads on current events and social issues, featuring diverse perspectives from various authors.
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