New Delhi: Pakistan has witnessed a 51% rise in terrorist attacks in the one year since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, the newspaper DAWN has reported on the basis of a study by Islamabad-based think tank, Pak Institute of Peace Studies.
The spike in terror incidents saw the deaths of almost 500 people in the days between August 15, 2021 and August 14, 2022, the report said.
| Deaths | Injuries | Attacks | |
| August 15, 2021-August 14, 2022 | 433 | 719 | 250 |
| August, 2020-August 14, 2021 | 294 | 598 | 165 |
The study comprises two papers by Ahmed Ali and Urooj Jafri, which evaluate the post-US landscape of Afghanistan and its effect on Pakistan when it comes to militancy and security, and Pakistan’s Afghan refugee situation, respectively.
The report notes that key terror outfits with active presence in Afghanistan include Al-Qaeda, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Tehreek-eTaliban Pakistan (TTP), and Islamic State in Khorasan (IS-K).
The study finds that since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, cross border movement of militants has increased and groups like TTP and IS-K have intensified their attacks in Pakistan.
“So far, the Taliban have acted only against the IS-K because it actively challenges the Taliban,” it says.
Out of these groups, the reported return of TTP militants from Afghanistan in recent months has caused a “wave of fear and panic among residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the study says, quoting UNSC data.
In April 2022, the TTP and its affiliates carried out 20 terrorist attacks in Pakistan including some from across the border. In one of these attacks in North Waziristan, seven army soldiers were killed, the report says.
Areas like Peshawar, Swat, Dir, and Tank have been reported as places which point to a gradual expansion of militants.
“Since security affairs in Pakistan are usually shrouded in ambiguities, there is a prevailing confusion about who or what allowed the TTP’s resurgence and relocation in the northwest,” the report said, speculating on whether militants are being allowed as part of a deal between the Pakistan government and the TTP.
“Overall, the inflated figures reflect that militant carried out some major attacks. In short, terrorism has risen both in frequency and intensity,” the report says.
DAWN‘s report notes especially that the study contests Pakistan authorities’ claims that only around “60,000 to 70,000” Afghans entered the country in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover. Quoting the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), it notes that the number is more than 300,000.