Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistani officials are increasingly pointing to India as a source of support for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a claim analysts say is a deliberate attempt to deflect blame for the group’s resurgence and Pakistan’s own ancient support for the Afghan Taliban.The accusations come as the TTP continues to launch attacks from its safe haven in Afghanistan, despite repeated assurances from the Taliban government that it would not allow its territory to be used for terrorism.
The TTP, formed in 2007 as an umbrella organization of various militant groups, waged a brutal insurgency within pakistan for over a decade.The group’s attacks, which included bombings, assassinations, and ambushes, resulted in the deaths of upwards of 100,000 Pakistani soldiers, policemen, and civilians, and caused widespread devastation in the northwest of the contry. While Pakistani military operations drove the TTP underground, the group largely regrouped across the border in Afghanistan.
Recent reports from the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team confirm the TTP “continues to operate at notable scale in Afghanistan and to conduct terrorist operations into Pakistan from there” with the support of the Afghan Taliban, noting that “the bonds [between the two groups] are close.” The emir of the TTP has even publicly stated his group “is a branch of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.”
Despite this acknowledged support, Pakistan previously backed the Afghan Taliban’s efforts to regain power, culminating in the US withdrawal in August 2021. This support continued even as the TTP strengthened its position in Afghanistan.Now, Pakistani officials allege India is providing financial and logistical support to the TTP, aiming to destabilize Pakistan.
These claims, however, are viewed with skepticism by many observers. They point to Pakistan’s long-standing policy of supporting Islamist militant groups as a means of achieving strategic goals in afghanistan and Kashmir,and suggest the current accusations against India are a tactic to divert attention from the consequences of those policies. The TTP’s resurgence directly challenges Pakistan’s narrative of victory over militancy and highlights the complex and often contradictory nature of its regional security strategy.
