Why does the Tehreek-e-Pakistan Pakistan (TTP) resurgence keep happening, like a bad sequel that no one wanted? Is there a hidden hand feeding the flames? Or are we just blind to the patterns?
The TTP’s resurgence is no accident—it’s a calculated cycle. From Afghanistan’s borderlands to Pakistan’s heart, the rise of extremism follows a familiar script.
What if the snake you’re trying to slay is actually being fed and nurtured in a neighbour’s garden?
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a brand of extremism with its roots deep in the soil of chaos, has morphed into a genuine threat to Pakistan’s peace and stability—an ugly manifestation of a larger ideological fitna (strife). But here’s the kicker: the Afghan Taliban, despite their promises of sovereignty and peace, have been complicit in the TTP’s rise, perhaps unknowingly, perhaps intentionally. This is the fitna al-Khawarij, and it’s not just a Pakistani concern—it’s a regional issue wrapped in geopolitical implications.
“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.”
— Desiderius Erasmus
In this context, who is the one-eyed man? Is it the Afghan Taliban, who, despite their claims of sovereignty, turn a blind eye to the growing menace in their midst? Or is it Pakistan, desperately fighting an enemy that draws strength from across the border, yet must continue to extend the olive branch in a fragile regional peace?
Why is it that the TTP, once thought to be a defeated force, is now rising like a phoenix from the ashes of Afghan soil? Is it because the Afghan Taliban has a strategic interest in harboring the group? Or is it simply a case of unintended consequences of the Taliban’s own internal priorities?
Can we still consider the Afghan Taliban a reliable neighbor, or are we dealing with a situation where peace is the illusion and the enemy is feeding off our own goodwill?
And what role does the international community play in all this? While the TTP continues its bloodshed, the world looks on—perhaps too detached to understand the magnitude of the threat Pakistan faces.
Also See: Pakistan’s TTP Challenge: Strikes, Talks, and Solutions
A Bloody Reminder: January 28th Attack on Pakistan’s Border
The audacity of militant groups, especially Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is not just a reflection of their operational reach; it’s a mirror to the broader geopolitical dynamics shaping the region. The January 28, 2025, attack on a Pakistani security post in Qila Abdullah, Balochistan, by TTP militants, is a stark reminder of this. Five militants, including two suicide bombers, were killed when they tried to overrun a security post near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, a failed assault that cost Pakistan two soldiers their lives. The TTP, a group that has made Afghan soil its base of operations, quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, showing how cross-border terrorism continues to fuel instability in Pakistan.
TTP’s Cross-Border Strategy: A Dangerous Cycle of Retaliation
But this isn’t just a single skirmish in the ongoing cross-border battle. The TTP’s actions are part of a larger strategy that has escalated since the Afghan Taliban’s takeover in 2021. From the November 2021 ceasefire agreement mediated by the Afghan Taliban, which eventually broke down, to the airstrikes Pakistan conducted in 2022 targeting TTP militants in Afghan territories, the situation has spiraled into a dangerous cycle of retaliation, denial, and heightened tensions.
Pakistan’s Airstrikes: Self-Defense or Escalation?
Pakistan has repeatedly stated that these airstrikes are not aimed at Afghan civilians but at TTP terrorist camps — precision operations designed to safeguard its citizens. In fact, the December 2024 airstrikes in eastern Paktika Province specifically targeted TTP’s leadership, eliminating key operatives involved in orchestrating suicide bombings and terror operations. The camps housed large caches of weapons meant to fuel cross-border terrorism. Yet, the Afghan Taliban continues to deny harboring the TTP, calling for dialogue and emphasizing sovereignty while conveniently overlooking the operational links between the two.
Afghanistan’s Unwillingness to Curb TTP: A Dangerous Complicity
So, what’s really going on here? Pakistan’s actions are a direct response to the TTP’s increasing attacks on its territory, while Afghanistan, under the Taliban, has failed to curb the militant group operating within its borders. This failure has led Pakistan to exercise its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which affirms that a nation has the right to defend itself if it is attacked. Under this article, Pakistan has justifiable grounds to take military action against cross-border terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan. Despite this, many in Afghanistan’s corridors of power prefer to view these strikes as violations of their sovereignty, even as their own country becomes a safe haven for the very group that Pakistan is targeting.
TTP’s Wider Strategy: Economic Targeting and Political Messaging
The TTP’s current actions are not merely isolated terror acts. They form part of a larger pattern of disruption, from their strategic targeting of military-linked businesses to their attacks against Pakistan’s economic heart. The military-industrial nexus, which includes entities like Fauji Fertilizer and Askari Bank, has been under attack for years now. The recent escalation, however, is troublingly aligned with a broader anti-military rhetoric that finds footing not only among militants but also among political factions, including some elements within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), adding further fuel to the fire of Pakistan’s internal strife.
A Web of Militants: TTP, Taliban, and Al-Qaeda Alliances
But perhaps the most sinister part of this dynamic lies in the deeply interconnected web of militant groups operating in the region. The TTP, the Afghan Taliban, and even remnants of Al-Qaeda are no longer discrete entities. They share training camps, resources, and ideological goals. The Afghan Taliban, despite its promises to distance itself from global terrorism, has allowed this nexus to grow under its watch, indirectly feeding the very fitna (chaos) that Pakistan is striving to contain.
Pakistan’s Precision Strikes: Defending Sovereignty, Not Aggression
Pakistan’s military, in its battle against terrorism, continues to emphasize that it does not target Afghan civilians, nor is it waging war against Afghanistan itself. Instead, the enemy is TTP — a terrorist group that has carried out countless attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians. But this distinction is often lost in the global narrative, where Pakistan’s operations are mistakenly painted as indiscriminate. These operations are, in fact, a legitimate exercise of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, which allows Pakistan to take necessary action against threats that jeopardize its national security.
The Afghan Taliban’s Betrayal: A Lack of Action Against TTP
The Afghan Taliban’s reluctance to take meaningful action against the TTP is not just a betrayal of its promises to Pakistan; it is a dangerous complicity in the larger destabilizing forces in the region. While Pakistan has shown patience, initially seeking diplomatic solutions, the ongoing inaction and the Taliban’s tacit support for the TTP leave Pakistan with few options other than direct military action.
A War on Two Fronts
This situation is an example of a classic geopolitical conundrum: a state must defend its territory from a non-state actor that operates across borders, yet the very country that should be helping to eliminate that actor claims it’s a sovereign issue. Pakistan, despite its diplomatic and military efforts, is left fighting a war that feels eerily ghostlike in nature, with enemies hidden across an invisible line, propped up by international indifference.
The Rising Threat of TTP: Pakistan’s Battle for Sovereignty Continues
The TTP’s escalation of attacks, particularly targeting military-run businesses, reveals a broader strategy aimed at undermining Pakistan’s economy and internal cohesion. This fits into a wider narrative that seeks to destabilize Pakistan from within while questioning its ability to safeguard its borders. While TTP continues its operations, its Afghan benefactors remain conveniently silent, unwilling or unable to act, all the while Pakistan’s patience grows thinner.
This is not just a fight against terrorism; it’s a battle for national sovereignty, stability, and the future of millions of Pakistanis who continue to live under the constant threat of terror, both from across the border and within. The Afghan Taliban’s role in harboring the TTP makes it complicit in this ongoing conflict, feeding the fitna that seeks to destabilize not only Pakistan but the entire region.So, with the TTP continuing its relentless campaign and the world watching from the sidelines, how much longer will Pakistan play the waiting game, or is it time for a new strategy to send a clear message that enough is enough?
SAT Commentaries’ are social media threads by various authors, reproduced here for website use. Views are their own.
TTP Resurgence: A Deadly Sequel with No End in Sight — Is Pakistan’s Patience Running Out?
Why does the Tehreek-e-Pakistan Pakistan (TTP) resurgence keep happening, like a bad sequel that no one wanted? Is there a hidden hand feeding the flames? Or are we just blind to the patterns?
The TTP’s resurgence is no accident—it’s a calculated cycle. From Afghanistan’s borderlands to Pakistan’s heart, the rise of extremism follows a familiar script.
What if the snake you’re trying to slay is actually being fed and nurtured in a neighbour’s garden?
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a brand of extremism with its roots deep in the soil of chaos, has morphed into a genuine threat to Pakistan’s peace and stability—an ugly manifestation of a larger ideological fitna (strife). But here’s the kicker: the Afghan Taliban, despite their promises of sovereignty and peace, have been complicit in the TTP’s rise, perhaps unknowingly, perhaps intentionally. This is the fitna al-Khawarij, and it’s not just a Pakistani concern—it’s a regional issue wrapped in geopolitical implications.
“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.”
— Desiderius Erasmus
In this context, who is the one-eyed man? Is it the Afghan Taliban, who, despite their claims of sovereignty, turn a blind eye to the growing menace in their midst? Or is it Pakistan, desperately fighting an enemy that draws strength from across the border, yet must continue to extend the olive branch in a fragile regional peace?
Why is it that the TTP, once thought to be a defeated force, is now rising like a phoenix from the ashes of Afghan soil? Is it because the Afghan Taliban has a strategic interest in harboring the group? Or is it simply a case of unintended consequences of the Taliban’s own internal priorities?
Can we still consider the Afghan Taliban a reliable neighbor, or are we dealing with a situation where peace is the illusion and the enemy is feeding off our own goodwill?
And what role does the international community play in all this? While the TTP continues its bloodshed, the world looks on—perhaps too detached to understand the magnitude of the threat Pakistan faces.
Also See: Pakistan’s TTP Challenge: Strikes, Talks, and Solutions
A Bloody Reminder: January 28th Attack on Pakistan’s Border
The audacity of militant groups, especially Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is not just a reflection of their operational reach; it’s a mirror to the broader geopolitical dynamics shaping the region. The January 28, 2025, attack on a Pakistani security post in Qila Abdullah, Balochistan, by TTP militants, is a stark reminder of this. Five militants, including two suicide bombers, were killed when they tried to overrun a security post near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, a failed assault that cost Pakistan two soldiers their lives. The TTP, a group that has made Afghan soil its base of operations, quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, showing how cross-border terrorism continues to fuel instability in Pakistan.
TTP’s Cross-Border Strategy: A Dangerous Cycle of Retaliation
But this isn’t just a single skirmish in the ongoing cross-border battle. The TTP’s actions are part of a larger strategy that has escalated since the Afghan Taliban’s takeover in 2021. From the November 2021 ceasefire agreement mediated by the Afghan Taliban, which eventually broke down, to the airstrikes Pakistan conducted in 2022 targeting TTP militants in Afghan territories, the situation has spiraled into a dangerous cycle of retaliation, denial, and heightened tensions.
Pakistan’s Airstrikes: Self-Defense or Escalation?
Pakistan has repeatedly stated that these airstrikes are not aimed at Afghan civilians but at TTP terrorist camps — precision operations designed to safeguard its citizens. In fact, the December 2024 airstrikes in eastern Paktika Province specifically targeted TTP’s leadership, eliminating key operatives involved in orchestrating suicide bombings and terror operations. The camps housed large caches of weapons meant to fuel cross-border terrorism. Yet, the Afghan Taliban continues to deny harboring the TTP, calling for dialogue and emphasizing sovereignty while conveniently overlooking the operational links between the two.
Afghanistan’s Unwillingness to Curb TTP: A Dangerous Complicity
So, what’s really going on here? Pakistan’s actions are a direct response to the TTP’s increasing attacks on its territory, while Afghanistan, under the Taliban, has failed to curb the militant group operating within its borders. This failure has led Pakistan to exercise its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which affirms that a nation has the right to defend itself if it is attacked. Under this article, Pakistan has justifiable grounds to take military action against cross-border terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan. Despite this, many in Afghanistan’s corridors of power prefer to view these strikes as violations of their sovereignty, even as their own country becomes a safe haven for the very group that Pakistan is targeting.
TTP’s Wider Strategy: Economic Targeting and Political Messaging
The TTP’s current actions are not merely isolated terror acts. They form part of a larger pattern of disruption, from their strategic targeting of military-linked businesses to their attacks against Pakistan’s economic heart. The military-industrial nexus, which includes entities like Fauji Fertilizer and Askari Bank, has been under attack for years now. The recent escalation, however, is troublingly aligned with a broader anti-military rhetoric that finds footing not only among militants but also among political factions, including some elements within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), adding further fuel to the fire of Pakistan’s internal strife.
A Web of Militants: TTP, Taliban, and Al-Qaeda Alliances
But perhaps the most sinister part of this dynamic lies in the deeply interconnected web of militant groups operating in the region. The TTP, the Afghan Taliban, and even remnants of Al-Qaeda are no longer discrete entities. They share training camps, resources, and ideological goals. The Afghan Taliban, despite its promises to distance itself from global terrorism, has allowed this nexus to grow under its watch, indirectly feeding the very fitna (chaos) that Pakistan is striving to contain.
Pakistan’s Precision Strikes: Defending Sovereignty, Not Aggression
Pakistan’s military, in its battle against terrorism, continues to emphasize that it does not target Afghan civilians, nor is it waging war against Afghanistan itself. Instead, the enemy is TTP — a terrorist group that has carried out countless attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians. But this distinction is often lost in the global narrative, where Pakistan’s operations are mistakenly painted as indiscriminate. These operations are, in fact, a legitimate exercise of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, which allows Pakistan to take necessary action against threats that jeopardize its national security.
The Afghan Taliban’s Betrayal: A Lack of Action Against TTP
The Afghan Taliban’s reluctance to take meaningful action against the TTP is not just a betrayal of its promises to Pakistan; it is a dangerous complicity in the larger destabilizing forces in the region. While Pakistan has shown patience, initially seeking diplomatic solutions, the ongoing inaction and the Taliban’s tacit support for the TTP leave Pakistan with few options other than direct military action.
A War on Two Fronts
This situation is an example of a classic geopolitical conundrum: a state must defend its territory from a non-state actor that operates across borders, yet the very country that should be helping to eliminate that actor claims it’s a sovereign issue. Pakistan, despite its diplomatic and military efforts, is left fighting a war that feels eerily ghostlike in nature, with enemies hidden across an invisible line, propped up by international indifference.
The Rising Threat of TTP: Pakistan’s Battle for Sovereignty Continues
The TTP’s escalation of attacks, particularly targeting military-run businesses, reveals a broader strategy aimed at undermining Pakistan’s economy and internal cohesion. This fits into a wider narrative that seeks to destabilize Pakistan from within while questioning its ability to safeguard its borders. While TTP continues its operations, its Afghan benefactors remain conveniently silent, unwilling or unable to act, all the while Pakistan’s patience grows thinner.
This is not just a fight against terrorism; it’s a battle for national sovereignty, stability, and the future of millions of Pakistanis who continue to live under the constant threat of terror, both from across the border and within. The Afghan Taliban’s role in harboring the TTP makes it complicit in this ongoing conflict, feeding the fitna that seeks to destabilize not only Pakistan but the entire region.So, with the TTP continuing its relentless campaign and the world watching from the sidelines, how much longer will Pakistan play the waiting game, or is it time for a new strategy to send a clear message that enough is enough?
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.
Recent
Qatar’s Dubious Neutrality and the Narrative Campaign Against Pakistan
Qatar’s role in South Asia illustrates how mediation and media narratives can quietly converge into instruments of influence. Through Al Jazeera’s selective framing of Pakistan’s security challenges and Doha’s unbalanced facilitation with the Taliban, neutrality risks becoming a performative posture rather than a principled practice. Mediation that avoids accountability does not resolve conflict, it entrenches it.
From Dialogue to Patronage: How Qatar Mainstreamed Radical Movements Under the Banner of Mediation
Qatar’s diplomacy has long been framed as pragmatic engagement, but its mediation model has increasingly blurred into political patronage. By hosting and legitimizing groups such as the Taliban and Hamas without enforceable conditions, Doha has helped normalize armed movements in international politics, weakening counterterrorism norms and reshaping regional stability.
AI, Extremism, and the Weaponization of Hate: Islamophobia in India
AI is no longer a neutral tool in India’s digital space. A growing body of research shows how artificial intelligence is being deliberately weaponized to mass-produce Islamophobic narratives, normalize harassment, and amplify Hindutva extremism. As online hate increasingly spills into real-world violence, India’s AI-driven propaganda ecosystem raises urgent questions about accountability, democracy, and the future of pluralism.
AQAP’s Threat to China: Pathways Through Al-Qaeda’s Global Network
AQAP’s threat against China marks a shift from rhetoric to execution, rooted in Al-Qaeda’s decentralized global architecture. By using Afghanistan as a coordination hub and relying on AQIS, TTP, and Uyghur militants of the Turkistan Islamic Party as local enablers, the threat is designed to be carried out far beyond Yemen. From CPEC projects in Pakistan to Chinese interests in Central Asia and Africa, the networked nature of Al-Qaeda allows a geographically dispersed yet strategically aligned campaign against Beijing.
The Enduring Consequences of America’s Exit from Afghanistan
The 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan was more than the end of a long war, it was a poorly executed exit that triggered the rapid collapse of the Afghan state. The fall of Kabul, the Abbey Gate attack, and the return of militant groups exposed serious gaps in planning and coordination.