According to a well-researched and thoroughly investigated report of the United Nations (UN) about terrorism in Pakistan, Tehreek-i-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP) renamed by Government as Fitna Al Khawarij is being supported by Taliban Government of Afghanistan. Besides, TTP there are many other similar groups, carrying out terrorism in Pakistan. Fitna Al Khawarij and other terrorist groups have secured hideouts in Afghanistan areas, adjoining Pakistani border. These terrorists are provided with launching facilities from Afghan soil to Pakistani border areas until their entrance. Pakistan has provided all the evidence to the UN about Afghan Taliban support to Fitna Al Khawarij and other terrorist groups. In July2024, the United Nations issued a report which very clearly says that Fitna Al Khawarij is an alliance of extremist groups in Afghanistan.
Indeed, Fitna al Khawarij is the “largest terrorist group” on Afghan soil. Fitna Al Khawarij receives growing support from that country’s Taliban rulers to conduct cross-border attacks in Pakistan. This report of the UN sanctions monitoring team has made an assessment based on the facts that there is a massive surge in terror attacks of the Fitna Al Khawarij on Pakistani security forces and civilians. UN report has authenticated that, as a result of the Fitna Al Khawarij attacks, hundreds of security forces personnel and civilians have been killed in Pakistan. It further says. “Fitna Al Khawarij continues to operate at a significant scale in Afghanistan and to conduct terrorist operations into Pakistan from there, often utilizing Afghans.” This UN report has also estimated the strength of the Fitna Al Khawarij terrorists in Afghanistan as 6000-6500.
The UN report also indicates that, although there has been constant support of the Taliban Government to Fitna Al Khawarij ever since they took over the power, nevertheless this support has increased in recent months. “Taliban support to Fitna Al Khawarij also appears to have increased.” Surprisingly, the Afghan Taliban Government do not consider Fitna Al Khawarij, a terrorist group; perhaps they had a similar origin and still believe in continuing it if the situation changes for them in Afghanistan at any later stage.
In entire process of conducting terrorism in Pakistan, there is a very strong linkage between Afghan Taliban, Al Qaeda and Fitna Al Khawarij. The terrorism in Pakistan has to be analyzed through a perspective study and connections between the Afghan Taliban, Al Qaeda and Fitna Al Khawarij. In his regards, Bill Roggio, the Senior Fellow and Editor of FDD’s Long War, has written an article, The article is entitled; “Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda aiding Pakistani Taliban’s insurgency”. His research work deduces that terrorism in Pakistan is done by Fitna Al Khawarij, having Pakistani origin and assisted by the Afghan Taliban Government and Al Qaeda; “Taliban, with the help of Al Qaeda, is directly sheltering, supporting, and training the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan (Fitna Al Khawarij) despite claims to the contrary.” In June 2023, the UNSC revealed that; “The link between the Taliban and both Al Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (Fitna Al Khawarij) remains strong and symbiotic”. This report further explains that many terrorist groups are operating in Afghanistan, which ultimately carries out terrorism in Pakistan with greater flexibility and support of the Defecto Government of Afghanistan.
Why Fitna Al Khawarij has geared up its activities against Pakistan after 2021 needs debate. Indeed, the Afghan Taliban Government was reestablished in 2021 as a result of the US-Taliban Agreement of February 29, 2020. They were given complete authority over the entire Afghanistan after two decades of fighting by the same forces which dislodged them in 2001. Since Pakistani Taliban otherwise have their allegiance with the Afghan Taliban, they dreamt of having similar provisions for them. They wanted an area where they could establish their own rule and then expand that to take more areas for their influence. They were eyeing the former FATA area, which was misruled under FCR for decades and became a concentration area for terrorists during the first two decades of the 21st century.
Upon the merger of the former FATA into KP province, they got disturbed and later re-started militancy and terrorism after the establishment of the Taliban Government in Afghanistan. It is worth mentioning that Afghanistan was also unhappy over the merger of the former FATA with KP Province since it was the hub of all undesired activities for all such forces that could operate to destabilize Pakistan.
While having such a plan in mind, Fitna Al Khawarij’s leadership could have conceived two different scenarios: a) Afghan Taliban werefighting against a foreign invasion that occupied their country from 2001 to 2021, a logical struggle. In their fight against occupation forces, they had the sympathy of the people of Afghanistan, b) in the case of Fitna Al Khawarij, they were fighting against their state, their armed forces and their own people through an element of fear and terror. They have no support from the people to implement their nefarious designs and anti-Pakistan stance. Pakistan has a democratically elected people’s government with a clearly defined and unanimously approved constitution. Terrorists like Fitna Al Khawarij have no place in the constitution of Pakistan.
By supporting terrorists; Fitna Al Khawarij and other terrorist groups, Afghan Taliban Government is violating the sovereignty of Pakistan, UN Charter, International Law, its agreement with US and commitments, it made at the time of taking over Afghanistan in August 2021. With all such violations, how and why Afghan Taliban should be recognized by UN and international community as the rightful ruler. Indeed, supporting terrorists and non-state actors like Fitna Al Khawarij for destabilizing a nation state like Pakistan otherwise disqualifies Afghan Taliban as ruler of Afghanistan. Afghan Taliban must respect the sovereignty and integrity of Pakistan and other neighboring states of the region. —The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
