The National Counter-Terrorism Authority has said that the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan had “gained considerable ground” and “increased its footprint and magnitude of activities” in Pakistan during the peace talks process.
Nacta made these revelations in a document presented on Thursday to the participants of a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior. During the session, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Senator Mushtaq Ahmed raised concerns over the rising terror incidents in the country.
It is pertinent to mention that the TTP last month called off the ceasefire agreement with the government and ordered its militants to stage attacks across the country.
In a statement, the militant group had said it had repeatedly warned the people of Pakistan and “continued to be patient so that the negotiation process is not sabotaged at least by us.”
“But the army and intelligence agencies did not stop and continued the attacks […] now our retaliatory attacks will also start across the country,” the TTP had claimed.
In a document presented before the committee on Thursday, the security body said: “Peace talks emboldened the militants and their presence in Swat can be attributed to their efforts to gain the pulse of locals and response by the state.”
