Resurgence of TTP and ISK: A Daunting Challenge to Pakistan's Counterterrorism Strategy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58932/MULG0020Keywords:
Religious Militant Groups, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Islamic State Khorasan, Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism StrategyAbstract
The militant groups exploiting the name of the religion have long been a challenge for Pakistan's security. The appearance and disappearance of such violent groups in Pakistan illustrates how the religious militancy creates a daunting challenge for stability of the country. This study aims to examine the resumption of violent activities of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State Khorasan (ISK) in Pakistan and how it severely impacted on Pakistan's counter terrorism strategy in 2020-2023. The article highlights various post 2020 contributing factors such the role of resumption of Afghan Taliban’s government in Afghanistan and re-emergence of TTP and the rise of ISK with devastating anti-Pakistan politico-militancy driven agenda seemingly successful in presence of weak governance and political instability in Pakistan. The article argues that the state needs to adopt a comprehensive strategy that addresses the root causes of religious militancy, issues related to a stable governance, and effective counter-terrorism policies to combat the reorganization of the militant groups with clearly spelt out roadmap of a long-term rehabilitation strategy for those laying down arms and renouncing violence.
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