In Pakistan the incidents of terrorism have increased by 60 percent in 2023 and average of killings due to the insurgency has reached 78 per month.
Notably, 57% of these incidents occurred in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while 41% in the insurgency-hit province of Balochistan. The country faced violence along its western borders, where 98% of incidents were reported in the adjoining regions. Mainly the security forces and law enforcement agencies were the main targets of the terrorists but quite obviously the civilian papulation was also among the killings due to sabotage activities.
In Pakistan, challenges such as chaos, sectarian divisions, religious extremism and organized crime persisted in 2023. The lack of rule of law prevailed. The current situation forced individuals and institutions to resort to extra-judicial measures, while the people’s confidence in state institutions was shaken badly. This extremely regrettable state of affairs led to significant financial burdens, including loss of life and property, without any apparent remorse.
In such circumstances, disillusionment among the youth grew, and a widespread sense of dissatisfaction permeated the public. The resultant increase in retaliatory attacks on institutions responsible for enforcing the law led to military interventions and, undoubtedly, human rights violations.
The sick and obsolete financial policies of the government pushed the educated youth towards ditching unemployment. The joblessness is taking the young generation towards criminal activities. In these circumstances the terrorists take advantage as they can find work force as the terrorists have a lot of money to invest in the unemployed youth for their nefarious designs.
It is now imperative to assess these situations and consider corrective actions to restore stability and address the root causes of the challenges faced by Pakistan in 2023.
The continuous political instability, fueled by a lack of understanding of educated dissent and domestic issues, led Pakistan into the quagmire of a war against terrorism. What was even more worrisome was the dissemination of false and misleading information in public politics, where lies and deception were employed, yet no sorrow was felt for these falsehoods, and the consequences were overlooked.
The absence of accountability provided an opportunity for certain elements to exploit the quest for control and further destabilize the country from within.
Post-2001, religious extremism saw a significant surge in Pakistan, leading to thousands of terrorist attacks by 2013. The country conducted ten military operations to restore normalcy. It is crucial that we do not revert to those dark days. Initiating projects to eliminate extremism and developing a comprehensive counter-narrative are extremely important.
The new Afghan policy of the government and expelling the illegal immigrants from the country also resulted in an increase in terrorism. A regional nexus comprising some neighboring countries could be at the back of terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
Pakistan faces clear threats from organizations such as Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Baloch Republican Army (BRA), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), and ISIS. Negotiations with these opposing groups have proven ineffective, and appeasement policies have repeatedly failed. It is time to secure our remaining border regions.
After elections there would be a challenge for the new government to control terrorism just after coming into power on the priority basis.
In 2024, it will be imperative for us to address the root causes and effectively combat major factors contributing to extremism. This includes strengthening governance and the rule of law, eradicating radicalization, addressing economic vulnerabilities, countering online propaganda, and combating extremism. It is now crucial to reflect on what went wrong during this year and what corrective measures can be taken.