TTP terrorists make resurgence to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Swat Valley after decades

Outlawed Pakistani terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban [TTP] has made a resurgence in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat District after more than a decade, escalating instances of violence and causing destabilisation of regional security. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, is known for unleashing brutality in neighbouring Islamabad in retaliation to the “sustained military operations” carried out by Pakistan's military to eliminate its presence on Pakistani soil.

Their comeback into Swat in northwestern Pakistan, once a Taliban stronghold, demonstrates the collapse of the unilaterally agreed ceasefire, and subsequently, the weakness of the Pakistan Army-led peace protocols.

"It is also seen as the failure of the Pakistan Army under Army Chief Gen Bajwa to contain the resurgence of the TTP," reported Islamabad-based outlet Islam Khabar.

Credit: AP

'Carry out attacks wherever possible': TTP's command to terrorists

Terror outfit TTP is displaying complete intransigence on its core objectives faltering any prospects of negotiations to maintain calm in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat and several other northwestern districts. In a statement released to media outlets earlier, the terrorist group commanded its fighters that it is now "imperative for you to carry out attacks wherever possible across the country [Pakistan]." In 2009, Pakistan Army launched an aggressive campaign coded 'Operation Black Thunderstorm'  to eradicate the Tehreek-e-Taliban terrorists from their strongholds in Buner, Lower Dir, Swat and Shangla districts in Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. 

Taliban-appointed Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Credit: AP

A bill for the subsequent ceasefire was sent to the then Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, by the governing party of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ANP, who delayed signing it into law leading to a deadlock. As a result, the terrorists expanded their territory into other districts of Pakistan, posing threats to the security of the East Asian territory, broadly.

Civilians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat view the return of the Tehreek-e-Taliban [TTP] as a devious ploy to stir disturbances in the Pashtun areas of Pakistan. They also believe that the Pakistani Armed Forces enact a ‘divide and rule’ policy to snub the Pashtun unity in the region. "Punjabi-dominated security establishment has always feared that the unresolved Durand Line issue with Afghanistan and the growing Pashtun influence in the region could challenge their dominance in Pakistan," Washington-based think tank Global Strat View stated in an analysis. 

"People of Swat have come out on the streets and are protesting against rising militancy in the Swat valley. The resurgence of the TTP is a direct fallout of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan," Islam Khabar is reporting. 

Activities of TTP occur under Pak Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure

TTP, an off-shoot and ally of Afghanistan’s ruling fundamentalist Taliban, is designated as a global terrorist organisation by the United States and the United Nations [UN]. They were first spotted at the Swat-Dir border in August 2022. The faction established a check-post at Balasoor Top to patrol freely the areas across the Matta tehsil of Swat. "All these developments have occurred under the current Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure," the think tank notes.

Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party take part in a rally denouncing militant attacks. Credit: AP

Global Strat View also believes that the Pakistani Army "allowed the return of some TTP terrorists in the Swat Valley as a part of its ongoing negotiations with the terrorist outfit". There have been increased incidents of terror attacks in different areas of the Swat district, including at least six during the start of the year 2023 that led to the demise of 12, including seven civilians and five terrorists. 

The terror faction has carried out hundreds of suicide bombings, and brutal assaults since its emergence in Pakistan in 2007. Tens of thousands of civilians and security forces have been killed in the attacks that resurged over the last few years. One of the key reasons for the terrorists' resurgence is that the Afghan Taliban "is no longer willing to follow orders from Rawalpindi", Islam Khabar stated. Pakistan accuses Afghan Taliban of turning a blind eye to TTP activities. 

"What is more worrying is that the civilian leadership and Pakistan’s powerful security establishment have so far failed to handle the emerging situation in Swat," the US-based thinktank Global Strat View said in its analysis.