Pakistan’s ‘war on terror’ approach is dangerous

A Jaffar Express train carrying Quetta to Peshawar was hijacked on March 11 by members of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The BLA operatives were killed and hundreds of hostages were released by the Pakistani security forces following a 36-hour standoff. At least eight civilians perished in the operation, according to the government.

Pakistani officials quickly held Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan responsible for what they termed a “terrorist incident.” This most recent example of how Pakistani authorities increasingly interpret “war on terror” and “deflect responsibility” are shown in this context.

At least 46 people, including children and women, were killed when Pakistani fighter jets bombarded Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces almost three months prior to the train hijacking. People who had fled Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region were many of the victims.

Pakistan claimed that it is pursuing Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters who are hiding on Afghan soil, making its claim that it is violating Afghan sovereignty and international law. Islamabad has been claiming that Kabul is home to “terrorists” who have attacked Pakistani territory over the past two years.

Similar logic was used by the US to carry out air raids, kidnappings, targeted killings, etc. throughout the Muslim world during its so-called “war on terror.” The US violated all international conventions that supported the rights of prisoners of war, affirming state sovereignty, preventing civilians from killing combatants, and ensuring a fair response.

When a “high-value target” was pursued, the US army and intelligence saw civilians as active combatants or collateral damage. Throughout the world, armed groups carried out “terrorist” strikes, and they still do so today. The US may have withdrawn from Afghanistan and Iraq, but the region’s governments are still willing to accept its legacy. One of them is Pakistan’s.

Pakistan continued to support and shelter the Afghan Taliban despite the US’s 20-year occupation of Afghanistan. The TTP and BLA are still seen as “terrorist” organizations by Pakistani authorities, and the Afghan Taliban government is a “terrorist” organization.

They object to the local insurgencies’ portrayal of them as politically motivated, rational actors with whom to discuss issues or hear their complaints.

There are some lessons to be learned from the recent American adventurism, but Pakistan’s approach to these groups is internal.

In the US, Muslims both at home and abroad were given a broad definition of “terrorism.” It compared the Taliban and, occasionally, Afghan civilians to its adversary al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

The , imprisonment , and torture of alleged  Taliban members only fed the , fervour of , Taliban fighters, and sparked an increase in violence. In addition to violating their own country’s sovereignty, discriminatory drone strikes on civilian areas in Afghanistan and Pakistan encouraged young men to join the TTP and Taliban.

The Taliban’s numerous negotiations with the US failed until 2021, when the US decided to leave after two decades of occupation and hostility, accepting defeat.

It is simple to label movements as “terrorists” and to reject any attempt at reconciliation. However, this strategy does not work well, as the American example demonstrates.

The Pakistani authorities should take lessons from the American experience rather than try to entice the US into yet another “terror” war, as Drop Site reported from US media outlets. They are dealing with their own citizens, who have strong grievances, not just pretending to be ignorant of organizations like TTP and BLA.

These groups must be heard, and the Pakistani government must find a way to negotiate with them. It must acknowledge the suffering of the civilian populations in the BLA and TTP’s operating areas. Additionally, it needs to put an end to the Taliban government’s abuses of its own security under the guise of “war on terror” and its violation of Afghan sovereignty.

It is very likely that the Pakistani military will meet its fate if it chooses to ignore recent history and instead chooses to follow in the footsteps of the US.