Earlier this year, in a telephonic conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General (now Field Marshal and Chief of Defence Forces) Asim Munir, stated that Pakistan would eliminate the menace of terrorism while transforming the Pakistan-Iran border into a zone of friendship, brotherhood, and economic development. Similar remarks were made in October 2023 in response to suicide bombings in the restive Pakistani provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Pakistan has been grappling with the scourge of terrorism for the past 22 years.

Outfits such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) have wreaked havoc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, respectively. The TTP was flushed out of Pakistan through a massive military operation, only to stage a resounding comeback in 2020. As for the BLA, it remains the most cohesive and brutal terrorist group in Balochistan. Pakistan’s successful counterterrorism military operations notwithstanding, these groups continue to pose a potent threat. Consequently, the question Pakistani authorities must answer is: how can these organisations be compelled to end their activities or reduce the level of violence?

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