Opinion | Why TTP attacks Pakistan?

Pakistan has long been nurturing terrorism to destabilize the region but in doing this it has overlooked or forgotten its internal issues and rising security concerns of the country. One such case is Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan shortly termed as TTP, currently lead by Noor Wali Mehsud.The TTP formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud after Pakistan’s military launched operations in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. It mainly operates in FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) a semi-autonomous region until its merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018, alongside Durand line, Pak-Afg border, a border considered illegitimate by TTP and Afghanistan. Pakistan has long been ignoring and marginalising the tribal residents of the country and alienating them from national rights and exploiting them, Though the group claims to fight for Islamic governance, its conflict with the Pakistani state is deeply rooted in political, ideological, and historical grievances. So, the TTP’s campaign is therefore both ideological and deeply political rooted in decades of mistrust between the tribal population and the state. It thrives on local resentment, state neglect, and killing and exploitation. Each attack serves as a statement of defiance, resentment, vengeance and a bid for relevance.

Every act of resistance or mutiny doesn’t emerge spontaneously; it is often a product of the State itself. Policies that marginalize, neglect, or suppress communities create the conditions for such movements to arise. Injustice and exclusion lay the groundwork for dissent to take root.

Grievances and Negligence

Pakistan has always neglected and exploited the tribal areas and deprived them of their basic rights like education and health care, political representation and weak infrastructure. In 2018 FATA were merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the pretext of progress and development but nothing of that happened. Tribal populations express frustration at what they see as half-measures, delayed integration, and the continuing effects of military operations such as displacement, checkpoints, and restrictions on movement. This casted anger among the public and rose to armed moment.

Brutal Military Operations

Pakistan military carried out numerous airstrikes killing thousands of civilians, destroying their homes and displacing them and such killings were never investigated Military operations such as Zarb-e-Azb (2014) and Radd-ul-Fasaad (2017) dismantled many of its strongholds in the tribal belt, forcing its leadership to flee and in doing this the army dismantled and destroyed the civilian apparatus further deteriorating the already ailing civilian infrastructure of tribal areas. Strict military measures like frequent checking, abduction and checkpoints against civilians further alienated them from the State of Pakistan.

Ideological Difference

At its core TTP’s core ideology is same as that of Taliban that is Fundamentalist Islamist Sharia law, actually TTP draws its inspiration from Afghanistan Taliban that is to establish Sharia Law in Pakistan. However, unlike the Afghan Taliban who mainly focus on governing Afghanistan the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) seeks to overthrow Pakistan’s existing political system and replace it with their strict version of Islamic rule. The group rejects Pakistan’s constitution, democratic institutions, and modern education system, calling them un-Islamic. This ideological rigidity has brought them into direct conflict with the Pakistani state.

Exploitation of Tribal Areas

For decades Pakistan governments have neglected the FATA population and deprived them of basic amenities. Historically For decades, FATA and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were governed under outdated colonial laws that denied residents basic rights, access to courts, and proper political representation. Successive governments and the military treated these regions as strategic buffer zones rather than integral parts of Pakistan. As a result, infrastructure, education, and healthcare remained severely underdeveloped. This long-standing neglect created deep resentment among the people, allowing extremist groups to exploit their grievances and spread militancy. Over time, many locals felt alienated and disconnected from the state they were meant to belong to.

Allying with USA and the west

Pakistan’s alliance with the United States and the West during was also seen by many in the tribal areas as going against Islamic values. The military operations, supported by Western powers, were viewed as attacks on fellow Muslims rather than efforts to fight terrorism. This perception led many to believe that the Pakistani government was siding with non-Muslim countries against its own people and faith. As a result, anger and mistrust toward the state deepened, and certain groups used this sentiment to recruit locals under the banner of defending Islam and their homeland.

Cross border policy and Pakistan hypocrisy

The TTP views Islamabad as a two-faced and hypocritical state. Pakistan, which once strongly supported the Afghan Taliban and even helped them rise to power, now targets the TTP despite both sharing a similar goal of enforcing Sharia law. While the Afghan Taliban were celebrated as “strategic allies,” the TTP faced military crackdowns and labelling as terrorists for pursuing the same ideology within Pakistan. This double standard, where Pakistan backs the Taliban in Afghanistan but suppresses their counterparts at home, has deepened the TTP’s resentment and reinforced their belief that the state only supports Islamic movements when it serves its political interests at the cost of Islam.

Pakistan’s Fault Lines

The TTP cannot be seen as solely responsible for the violence it carries out. Its origins are deeply tied to Pakistan’s own actions. Pakistan has a long history of terrorism and civilian repression, including torture and killings, in regions such as Bangladesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Baluchistan, and wherever else it has exerted control. Its policies have resulted in widespread deaths, abductions, and systemic abuses. Pakistan’s policies over decades have fuelled all of this at home. By creating and supporting Taliban fighters in the 1980s–90s many of whom later joined TTP, carrying out brutal military operations that harmed civilians, and pursuing political hypocrisy backing Taliban abroad while fighting them at home the state generated deep resentment. Long-term neglect of tribal areas and the use of religion as a political tool further created fertile ground for groups like the TTP to emerge and thrive.

Resurgence of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)

Pakistan through its brutal and inhuman military operations, not only targeted and dismantled the TTP but also caused massive destruction across the tribal areas. Entire villages were reduced to rubble, homes and markets were destroyed, and thousands of civilians were forced to flee. The local population suffered deeply, with little to no government effort to rebuild their lives or provide compensation for their losses. These operations, carried out in the name of counterterrorism, left lasting scars and created even greater resentment among the tribal people toward the state and its military.

For several years, this intense crackdown pushed the TTP into complete dormancy. However, the situation began to change in 2021 with the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan. When the Taliban took control of Kabul, overthrowing the U.S.-backed government, it reignited hope within the TTP. The group found renewed motivation and breathing space across the border, seeing the Taliban’s victory as proof that their own objectives in Pakistan were still achievable. With their ideological allies in power in Kabul, the TTP gained safe havens, logistical support, and a morale boost. Many of its fighters, previously dispersed by Pakistan’s military operations, regrouped in eastern Afghanistan and launched fresh attacks across the border. The fall of Kabul was seen by the TTP as a symbolic victory proof that a militant movement could defeat a major state-backed army through persistence and ideology.

Pakistan has been reeling under TTP attacks for years, accusing the group’s ideological ally, the Afghan Taliban, of providing safe havens, training camps, and logistical support to militants across the border. The Afghan Taliban, however, denies any ties with the TTP, claiming it does not allow Afghan soil to be used against any country. Yet, TTP has continued to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan with increasing frequency. As these assaults intensified, Pakistan’s frustration boiled over into military retaliation, including recent airstrikes in Kabul and Kandahar, targeting suspected TTP hideouts. These strikes, which reportedly caused both militant and civilian casualties, have fuelled tensions between the two neighbours. The situation has now escalated into regular border clashes, diplomatic hostilities, and rising anti-Pakistan sentiment inside Afghanistan. With each passing day, mistrust deepens, bringing Afghanistan and Pakistan dangerously close to open war, rooted in years of duplicity, failed negotiations, and ideological conflict.

In conclusion, the TTP attacks Pakistan largely as a response to the state’s own actions and policies. Decades of militant creation, indiscriminate military operations, political hypocrisy, neglect of tribal areas, and religious radicalization have fuelled resentment and alienation among local populations. Civilian deaths, mass displacement, and lack of accountability have provided the TTP with both motivation and recruits to continue its insurgency. While the group pursues its ideological goals, its violence is deeply rooted in Pakistan’s own mistakes and failures, creating a cycle of conflict that has yet to be broken.

alizaroon112@gmail.com