The Brussels-based renowned think tank, the International Crisis Group (ICG), has endorsed Pakistan’s concerns regarding the growing menace of cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. In a recent report, the think tank underscored the bitter reality that Pakistan has been the worst-hit country since the return of the Taliban to power in Kabul. Violence in Pakistan has escalated since 2022, with the past year alone witnessing the loss of over 600 Pakistani citizens, including civilians and law enforcement officials, primarily in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan – the two provinces sharing a border with Afghanistan.

Islamabad accuses the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), along with Baloch separatist terrorist groups allegedly backed by India, of orchestrating these attacks, citing evidence to support its claims. The persistent unwillingness of the Afghan Taliban to act against anti-Pakistan terrorist groups has remained a major bone of contention in bilateral relations between Islamabad and Kabul.

Internal stability and political unity are essential to tackling the challenges posed by cross-border terrorism. Present relations between the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and federal governments are far from satisfactory and........

© Daily Times