CHIEF of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Thursday vowed to bring the planners and facilitators of the recent terrorist attack on Bannu Cantonment to justice “wherever they may be”.
During a visit to the Bannu district, he held out an assurance that while the incident’s perpetrators were neutralized instantly, the planners and facilitators of the dastardly attack would also be brought to justice soon.
What the COAS said were not mere morale boosting remarks as a comprehensive strategy is under implementation to root out the menace of terrorism from the soil of Pakistan.
It includes intelligence-based physical operations against remnants of terror in different parts of the country, especially in KP and Balochistan; addressing root causes of the twin menaces of extremism and terrorism; tightening loopholes in the legal and fiscal framework that are misused; neutralizing external hand and taking up the issue with due earnest not only with Kabul but also at regional and global forums.
This aspect was highlighted by General Munir who said that terrorist groups, including the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), continued to operate from Afghan soil against Pakistan, underscoring that the use of foreign weapons and equipment in recent terrorist attacks was “clear evidence that Afghanistan remained a safe haven for such elements”.
ISPR also noted that intelligence reports “unequivocally confirmed the physical involvement of Afghan nationals in this heinous act, with evidence also pointing to the fact that the attack was orchestrated and directed by Khwarij ring leaders operating from Afghanistan”.
Pakistan’s point of view and concern on the issue is subscribed now by the world community as the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 has highlighted TTP’s expanding influence, particularly in Pakistan and Afghanistan, with 558 fatalities attributed to the group in 2024 alone.
The group has intensified attacks on Pakistani security forces, civilians, and government installations, while also targeting the Pak-Afghan border region.
Experts warn that TTP’s resurgence has been enabled by the Taliban’s control in Afghanistan, allowing the group to use Afghan territory as a safe haven for planning and launching attacks.
The report says as the TTP expands its operations, its growing influence in Pakistan and Afghanistan remains a key concern for regional stability, raising urgent questions about how governments will respond to the evolving threat landscape.
It is imperative that a firm beginning should be made to address the challenge by initiating a tangible campaign to retrieve weapons that Americans left in Afghanistan during withdrawal of their troops from that country as these are being used in terrorist activities as also confirmed in the case of Bannu attack.
Similarly, Pakistan has demonstrated capability to neutralize terrorist outfits but the campaign cannot proceed ahead with the required pace due to paucity of resources, which needs to be taken care of by other players.
