Terror challenge
The story of terrorism in Pakistan was neither sudden nor accidental. It evolved gradually through decades of geopolitical conflict and political expediency. Its roots lie in the 1980s Afghan-Soviet war, when Pakistan became a conduit for weapons, militant ideologies and battle-hardened fighters. Guns such as the Kalashnikov and Uzi, once symbols of distant wars, became embedded in everyday Pakistani life.
Over time, the line between ordinary criminality and ideological militancy blurred. Criminal acts were often masked in militant rhetoric, while sectarian hatred presented itself as religious devotion. The state gradually confronted a deeply entrenched culture of armed impunity that spread through society and altered the country’s social and political landscape.
With the end of the Cold War, militancy did not disappear. Its infrastructure survived beneath the surface, quietly recalibrating itself. Networks remained intact, training grounds endured and extremist ideologies lingered. Thus, the 1990s unfolded as a decade of deceptive calm.
The early 2000s marked a grim turning point as terrorism in Pakistan became more organised and ruthless. Suicide bombings struck cities and public spaces. These attacks were designed not only to kill but also to spread fear and fracture society.
The post-September 11 US invasion of Afghanistan accelerated this descent into militancy. Pakistan’s alliance with the US and the collapse of the Afghan Taliban regime pushed foreign militants, including Al Qaeda operatives and Central Asian fighters, into the tribal areas. Over time, these groups redirected violence towards Pakistan. The emergence of the TTP unified the insurgency and expanded its reach.
The consequences were severe: thousands died, the economy suffered, and fear disrupted daily life. Yet military operations such as Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad weakened militant networks and restored state authority in many regions.
However, terrorism continually adapts and reconfigures itself. Following the return of the Afghan Taliban in 2021, the TTP found renewed sanctuaries across the border. Since 2022, militant activity has intensified amid domestic political turbulence. Simultaneously, longstanding tensions surrounding the Durand Line and allegations within Pakistan’s security framework regarding support from hostile intelligence networks operating from India and Afghan soil have further complicated the security environment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
In this volatile setting, Imran Khan’s policies assumed critical importance. His government’s decision to open borders for Afghan militants and facilitate their settlement inside Pakistan introduced a deeply contentious dimension. What may have been intended as accommodation risked reintroducing battle-hardened fighters into an already fragile environment.
At the same time, the insurgency in Balochistan has grown sharper and more sophisticated. The Balochistan Liberation Army is believed to have benefited from external financial and logistical support. The inflow of modern weaponry has emboldened militant operations and transformed the insurgency into a more potent destabilising force. Yet, confronting this challenge stands the steadfast resolve of the Pakistan Army.
Pakistan’s police forces deserve particular recognition in this long struggle. Often forming the first line of defence, they have fought terrorism with remarkable courage and sacrifice. Their sacrifices constitute one of the strongest pillars of Pakistan’s counterterrorism framework.
A darker spillover of this long proliferation of sophisticated weaponry is now visible in the katcha areas of Sindh and Punjab, where heavily armed dacoit gangs have evolved into dangerous criminal syndicates. Armed with modern weapons, they have expanded from remote riverine belts into urban centres, engaging in abduction, extortion and murder with chilling audacity. The police, despite their courage, often find themselves confronting criminals possessing superior firepower. In such circumstances, a decisive and coordinated operation, supported by robust intelligence integration between civil and military agencies and backed where necessary by air power, has become imperative.
Indeed, Pakistan’s counterterrorism journey reflects hard-earned resilience and institutional maturity. Military operations dismantled entrenched sanctuaries; intelligence coordination sharpened; and the calibrated use of air power signalled with unmistakable clarity that militant sanctuaries would no longer be tolerated. Yet terrorism, by its very nature, remains protean. It sheds old forms and adopts new guises. Sleeper cells, lone actors, and digital radicalisation now represent the emerging frontier of this threat.
Economically, terrorism constrains investment and burdens the state; socially, it erodes trust and fractures cohesion; politically, it imposes difficult and unforgiving choices. Above all, it challenges the very imagination of a peaceful and progressive society.
Ultimately, this is a contest of narratives. Militancy cannot be defeated solely through force; the ideas sustaining it must also be extinguished. Where despair once took root, there must emerge hope, inclusion and lawful governance. Only then can the cycle of violence truly be broken.
Terrorism in Pakistan is neither invincible nor eternal. With the army and the police, clarity of purpose and unity of will can indeed silence terror.
The writer is a former inspector general of police and a former ombudsman, Sindh.
Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this piece are the writer’s own and don’t necessarily reflect Geo.tv’s editorial policy.
Originally published in The News
