THE terrorist attacks by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) create a perception of Pakistan as an insecure country and international investors are more likely to avoid high-risk regions for business. As a result, the country attracts little foreign direct investment and the economy registers slow growth due to terrorism. TTP’s attacks on foreigners indicate that economic terrorism is its main objective. It recently perpetrated a suicide attack, killing five Chinese engineers in Bisham on March 26, 2024. Earlier, TTP launched a suicide attack on Chinese engineers working on the Dasu hydropower project on July 14, 2021. This attack claimed the lives of nine Chinese. The TTP is also involved in attacks on the CPEC projects in Balochistan. These terrorist activities demonstrate the TTP’s desire to hit Pakistan’s economy at the behest of Indian proxies in Afghanistan. According to some estimates, Pakistan has lost more than 100 billion dollars in economic terms due to terrorism since 2001. The economic losses and slow business, trade, and industrial activities result in an increase in unemployment and poverty in the country.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the province most severely affected by the TTP’s terrorist activities, is experiencing the greatest hardships due to its sluggish economic growth. Consequently, the TTP’s terrorism has exacerbated poverty among the Pashtun population. The KP’s natural beauty used to attract a large number of international and domestic tourists, but the TTP’s insecure environment has reduced the influx of tourists in the province. Swat, Abbottabad, Mansehra and Chitral have transportation, hoteling, food and handicrafts industries that are linked to tourism. The TTP attacks forced the closure of these businesses, leaving many families jobless and impoverished.
The TTP’s widespread criminal activity had a negative impact on KP’s economy. TTP militants were conducting robberies, and they also kidnapped members of the business community for ransom. TTP was involved in the extortion of money from traders. Therefore, local investors moved their financial resources to other parts of the country, and the people of KP lost their economic capital due to terrorist activities in the province. The terrorist activities of the TTP also limited the capacity of the KP government for social development and economic growth. TTP attacks hindered the work on development projects, necessitating the allocation of additional funds for security, law, and order. TTP is currently demanding the restoration of Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), demonstrating their opposition to development in KP’s tribal districts.
TTP is a terrorist outfit, and death and destruction are its hallmarks. However, its commanders and militants are also involved in criminal activities in society. The TTP operates networks of extortion and kidnapping for ransom, and its militants also commit acts of murder for financial gain. The TTP’s murders of workers, traders, transporters, contractors, and others are disturbing examples of its terrorist activities, which aim to disrupt the economy. They do not show even a little regard for verses from the Quran and Hadith on the sanctity of human life and private property. A recent report by the UNC has revealed that TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud is receiving around $50,000 from the Afghan Taliban, and they are also supporting other militant commanders financially. This proves that these anti-social elements rely heavily on terrorist attacks and suicide bombings. They are also getting funds from hostile agencies for terrorist activities in Pakistan to hamper economic development.
Noor Wali Mehsud, the TTP chief, has been operating in Karachi like a gangster, and he has expertise in financial crimes. His network was involved in car lifting, bank robberies, extortion of money, and kidnapping for ransom in the city. He is embracing Al-Qaeda and ISIS in Afghanistan to expend his financial fortunes.
TTP commanders, driven by their lust for money, are misusing Madaris’ funds and even collecting alms in the name of Madaris. The altercations between the slain chief of the TTP, Mullah Fazlullah, and Khan Said Sajna over Madaris funds exposed terrorists for their unsatiable desire for money. They oppress Madaris financially and misguide their students to quit studies for participation in terrorism. Regrettably, there have been instances where terrorist groups have exchanged suicide bombers for cash. These anti-social elements trade suicide bombers for vested interests, as they need unaccounted money to live comfortably in Afghanistan. In their pursuit, they are contributing to societal poverty by negatively impacting Pakistan’s economy.
These facts reveal that the people of Pakistan are bearing a heavy economic cost due to terrorism and financial crimes committed by the TTP. Therefore, the restoration of peace is essential for an economic environment in which foreign investors and the domestic business community feel safe. Operation Azm-e-Istehkam is a final step in this direction, and intelligence-based operations would intensify to stabilize internal security. Hence, this operation would bring economic harmony and social development to Pakistan by curbing terrorist activities.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Islamabad.
