- The Indian citizens need no further elucidation on how neighbouring Pakistan not only foments terrorism-related dastardly acts perpetually but also never fails to latch onto any opportunities to inflict unmitigated troubles from various quarters. We know how the acts of terrorism emanating from Pakistan have singed the country for several decades now despite the international community leaving no stone unturned in attempting to make the Pakistani leadership see reasons to the contrary. The very essence of Pakistani existence is dependent on cornering India by adopting dubious means like terrorism is not lost on anyone.
PC: SIDDHANT KISHORE
- You see, the economic heft of India is not a match for Pakistan which has only grown over the years. Pakistan is hardly shown any development on this front. As you would notice, the geopolitical situation around the world has undergone tremendous alterations. Earlier Indo-Pak used to be spoken in the same breath. Not anymore as Indian progression on all fronts has elevated the stature, traction, and heft of the country to entirely different levels altogether. The respect garnered by India as a country is palpable all around. However, Pakistan continues to falter largely due to its own doing.
- Needless to mention, Pakistan is confronted by a variant of its most successful export – terrorism. Notably, over the last few months, terror outfits like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Islamic State, and the Gul Bahadur Group have carried out attacks with impunity. As reported extensively, the two-day hostage crisis at a counterterrorism detention centre in north-western Pakistan last month best tells the story. As the situation stands, two points are crucial here deserving thorough debate. First, it’s clear that following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan last year, terrorism in the Af-Pak region has received a fillip.
PC: Sentinel Assam
- Reports are coming in from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and even Russia that Afghanistan has once again become a regional terror hub hosting a plethora of extremist outfits. Pakistan, which had played a crucial role in facilitating the Taliban’s return to regain its so-called strategic depth in Afghanistan, is now facing a blowback from the same forces it had supported. This is because of Islamabad’s failed policy of distinguishing between good and bad Taliban. That the Afghan Taliban and their Pakistani counterparts share the same political goals was proved by the fact that TTP broke off negotiations with Islamabad on the point of the integration of Pakistan’s erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
- Second, if TTP and its ilk can capture large swathes of Pakistani territory as they did in the 2000s, then the Pakistani state itself could be in danger of collapse. Remember, Islamabad has to contend with both an economic crisis and the support that the terrorists are receiving from Afghanistan. That in turn raises serious security implications for India on its western border. Henceforth, India should be watchful in further strengthening the security apparatus along the border areas.
