Promoting Resilience to Terrorism

There has been a sizable increase in terrorist activities in Khyber Pakhtunkwa (KP) and Balochistan since last five years. The statistics suggest that incidents of killings have jumped from 42 in 2018 to nearly 193 in 2022 in KP. During the current year, up till May 2023, the figures are almost touching the three digits. The deaths of civilians and security forces have also shown an upward trend in 2023 as compared to total fatalities in 2018. A similar condition persists in Balochistan as well. Though the security situation has deteriorated in these two provinces nonetheless there exists a lot of local resistance on ground against the forces of terrorism and extremism. The security commentators and policy pundits while analyzing the statistics often overlook the local resilience which has constantly been exhibited by the native population for last many years without any significant provincial or national support. This human inertia against terror should, therefore, be protected and fortified through assistance of local administration and law enforcement agencies. The idea of supporting them is based on the logic that people’s resilience denies the militancy any room, even during the period of a political turmoil or an economic down turn, to establish and sustain itself for longer period of time. It also minimizes chances of providing a ready-made ground from youth recruitment and enlistment for terrorism. ?

For example, the Aman Committees were formulated by the government in various parts of KP which were considered to support the local administration, levies and police at the peak of militancy in the province. However, the heads of these committees were killed through various means by militants so that the resilience against terrorism should not take root effectively. The families of these Aman Committee members often complained about lack of support and security from local law enforcers. Most of these attacks took place in Newly Merged Districts (NMDs), Swat and peripheral area of Peshawar.

The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) has emerged on the political horizon in response to religious militancy in the province. Dubbed as saviors of Pashtun nationalism, the PTM leaders have criticized the state for not protecting its citizens when armed men of militant organizations target them without fear. Hence, they stressed upon a military solution to the militancy problem in NMDs and supported the military operation to the extent that such an activity should remove the breeding grounds of terrorism from the region. Recently, they have also staged demonstrations against maliks thinking that they are part and parcel of the old system which have ceased to deliver in the changing environment. The educated class of PTM believes in the political process however they refrain themselves from contributing vigorously in such activities. Though they have participated in the mass protests against militancy in the region, the clarity of thought about their future objectives is still missing.

In January 2023, people belonging to various political dispensations came on roads in South Waziristan. Holding white flags and beating traditional drums, the people demanded from the local administration to take stern action against rising terrorism in the area. The dynamics of the protest was interesting in the sense that it was neither staged on the behest of local influentials nor it was orchestrated by a single political party like PTM. Hence, people of all ages, youth and old, participated in it and staged an effective sit in for improvement of security situation in and around Wana city. Similarly, Swat Public Movement was initiated when an uptick in militant activities was noticed in Mingora and its environs in 2022. The people of all hue and color thronged to the streets and demanded apprehension of militants in the valley. A spate of actions was also observed by law enforcement agencies after these protests.

Apart from physical space, social media has also been effectively employed against terrorism and extremism. It has become a weapon of the weak especially those who hate terrorism in their hearts but fail to muster courage to demonstrate it physically. It is time to promote these elements of resilience in their areas and replicate it in other provinces.

?