Backfired Support: Pakistan's Decades-Long Endorsement of the Taliban Leads to Tragedy
The bombing at a high-security police mosque in Peshawar
left 101 people dead, mostly police officers. The attack was claimed by a
faction of the Pakistani Taliban, known as the TTP, who have been responsible
for numerous attacks in the past. This tragedy serves as evidence that
Pakistan's support of the Afghan Taliban has backfired, as the TTP shares a
similar ideology and pays allegiance to the Afghan group.
Residents of Peshawar are reminded of the city's dark
history of terrorism and fear that they could be the next target. The country's
military and intelligence services are facing criticism for their support of
the Taliban, as the militants continue to carry out deadly attacks.
In the past, Pakistan has provided logistical support,
training, medical care, and safe havens to the Afghan Taliban in their fight
against NATO troops. However, this support has turned out to be a liability, as
the TTP continues to pose a threat to the country. The Afghan Taliban's control
of Kabul and their recent actions, such as opening prisons and releasing TTP
leaders, have frustrated the Pakistani military.
The efforts of Pakistan's government to resettle TTP
fighters in the tribal areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have only allowed the
militants to regroup and spread their message to the youth. As MP Mohsin Dawar
stated, "As long as the Taliban continue to occupy Afghanistan, there will
be no peace in Pakistan." The bombing in Peshawar serves as a warning of
the consequences of supporting the Taliban.
