On the day that the news of a very important agreement between the
Afghan authorities and Pakistan to stop terrorism was published in the
Pakistani media, the following day, four terrible incidents of terrorism took
place in Pakistan, including two suicide blasts on the day of Milad-ul-Nabi
at public places in which dozens of people were killed. A suicide attack
took place in Mastung, Balochistan on the Milad-ul-Nabi celebration in
which 62 people were killed, while another blast took place in Hangu KP in
which 45 people were killed. These incidents once again shook the country
and people were worried about the security situation. From the manner in
which the drum of terrorism was being beaten for some time, it seemed
that the country is once again sinking into the mire of terrorism. When the
focus of all activities is the prevention of terrorism and there are moves and
initiatives to prove the country to be prone to threats, it should be clearly
understood that the situation is not good at all and it is a sign of a storm
coming. Before these incidents of terrorism, the news was adorned in the
Pakistani media that the Taliban government of Afghanistan has arrested
two hundred people who were involved in attacks in Pakistan, while the
supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, had
forbidden attacks against Pakistan. And calling it un-Islamic, it has
prohibited its forces from cross-border attacks. The Afghan people have
also been ordered not to cooperate with the TTP and not to give them
donations. Pakistan’s negotiating delegation has been informed about
these measures. These measures taken by the Taliban authorities could
not lead to an immediate end to the ongoing terrorism and threat in
Pakistan, but they were enough to create an atmosphere of trust between
Kabul and Islamabad. Currently, the border between Pakistan and
Afghanistan is being used for terrorist activities. There are many terrorist
organizations with hardline agendas. Many of these organizations are
aligned with international forces that want to destabilize Pakistan as a
nuclear power. Who does not want Pakistan to play any important political
and military role in the region? In the past decades, the drum of war
against terrorism has been beating loudly in Pakistan and close
cooperation between Pakistan and America has been going on for this
purpose. The Americans were able to increase their presence in Pakistan
and create their own network in the name of supporting the war against
terrorism, but after the Abbottabad operation, Pakistan began to realize
that the presence of the United States in this way is not a guarantee for
Pakistan’s independent future. Not good for stability. Later, the foreign
presence began to be reduced in Pakistan during the tenure of General
Ashfaq Parvez Kayani as evidence began to emerge that the benefactors
who came to help end terrorism were turning to another form of terrorism.
And thus, the country has become the center of many kinds of proxy wars.
Still, Pakistan has become a field of conflict between America and China.
Now Russia has also joined the game as America and Europe are
prominent in giving it a tough time in Ukraine. Avoiding these proxy wars
was certainly difficult but not impossible. There was no room for a country
with a weak economy and loose civil structure to participate in such big
games. The author states that only a few years passed peacefully in
Pakistan when there was no drone attack and no major act of terrorism, but
since the proxy war of international powers has intensified, the monster of
terrorism is coming back to Pakistan. Pakistan is currently surrounded by
India, Iran, Afghanistan and China. But this country is being proven to be a
victim of the threat of terrorism. The question is who is this, who wants to
see Pakistan having an open wound? Is there a weakness in Pakistan’s
system, which makes it an easy target for the world powers? It is there
some power that wants to fan the flames of tension and conflict between
Pakistan and Afghanistan. From the manner in which the rhetoric and
border clashes started happening between Pakistan and Afghanistan for
the past few months, it seems that there was a fear that there might be an
armed conflict between the two countries. On the other hand, TTP
elements hidden within the Taliban are keen to create an atmosphere of
conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan under an external agenda. The
perception is now common that the real cause of terrorism in Pakistan is
the need for the Great Game.
(translations from Arif Bahar, Jasarat)