Pakistan's inconsistent policies helped proscribed outfit TTP gain strength

Karachi [Pakistan], February 2 (ANI): Pakistan has seen a gradual rise in terrorism in Pakistan over the last three years and their inconsistent policies helped the proscribed outfit Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) gain strength, reported The News International.
On Monday, a blast ripped through a Peshawar mosque, claiming over 100 lives and leaving 170 people injured, raised fears of terrorism trend rising across the country, while the announcements of the meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) appear devoid of firmness.
While the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had initially claimed responsibility for the attack, there has been no official confirmation of the same.
There is a 28 per cent increase in the incidents of terrorism in 2022 as compared to 2021. According to a recent report of the Pakistan Institute of Conflict and Security Studies, over 300 incidents of terrorism happened in the country for the first time in a year after 2017, reported The News International.
All these incidents become all the more critical at a time when the country is facing political and financial challenges.
According to a report furnished by the NACTA, the PTI government's negotiations with the TTP encouraged the terror outfit but Imran Khan is still pointing a finger at the current government.
Previously, the federal government blamed the PTI government in KP for the increase in incidents of terrorism. In both scenarios, the state of Pakistan is failing, causing it to suffer, reported The News International.
The country is witnessing politics even on issues including terrorism. Former prime minister Imran Khan admits that his government wanted the resettlement of the Taliban under a dialogue with banned TTP, but the present government and establishment ignored the situation.
Notably, TTP carried out terrorist attack on Army Public School in Peshawar in 2014 and killed 122 innocent students and 22 teachers.
This incident gave a direction to the confused policy of Pakistan that it should carry out quick and effective action against terrorists.
All stakeholders of Pakistan united and the state evolved a Zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism, resulting in a conspicuous decline in the incidents of terrorism, reported The News International.
It is noteworthy that with the conquest of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the threats of terrorist attacks by the TTP were felt. And instead of dealing with it, the rulers of that time focused on talks with the TTP.
When the talks failed, the aftereffect came to the fore. The PTI government is passing the buck on regime change. Not only the TTP but also the Islamic State (IS) were carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan, reported The News International.
In October 2021, Imran Khan formally announced that talks were being held with the TTP and he did not believe in a military solution, adding that if the TTP group lay arms they would be pardoned and can live like common citizens.
In November 2021, the government and TTP had a ceasefire accord, and under that agreement, the Imran Khan government released around 100 TTP officials under a 'goodwill' gesture, reported The News International.
The opposition, on the other hand, kept expressing concerns about the development. After an in-camera briefing to the National Security Committee of the Parliament by the establishment, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that without the nod of Parliament, such negotiations would have no legal status.
The ceasefire could last only for a month, and on December 9, 2021, the TTP spokesperson announced to unilaterally end the truce. Once again the incidents of terrorism started rising.
According to the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS), Pakistan suffered 207 incidents of terrorism in 2021, which was 42 percent up the incidents of 2020. In these incidents, 335 people lost their lives, which was 52 percent up the casualties in 2020.
The TTP has claimed responsibility for seven incidents of terrorism that took place between Jan 17 and Jan 20 in Pakistan, reported The News International.
A sixty percent increase was witnessed in incidents of terrorism in 2022 compared with the incidents that took place in 2021.
According to the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies, there was a constant increase in incidents of terrorism in 2022. During the year 2022, 262 incidents of terrorism, including 14 suicide bombings, took place in Pakistan.
This means, the terror trend that started with the strengthening of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the formation of their government continued to gather force, reported The News International. (ANI)