It’s unimaginable that terrorist outfits with different ideologies form an unholy alliance. Well, this phenomenon is currently occurring in the region where extremist groups are collaborating with each other to pursue their heinous agendas. The claim is being reinforced by the eye-opening report issued by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
The report cites multiple facts, including the close nexus between banned outfits like TTP and BLA, including the Majeed Brigade. We can assess the lethality of BLA by assessing its attacks, particularly the hijacking of Jaffar Express on March 11th in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, which resulted in at least 31 deaths and several others injured.
The report, while referring to a member state’s position says that TTP has provided training to the terrorists in Baluchistan. The group has been waging a terrorist campaign for two decades and has access to the modern weapons that US forces left behind following the fall of Kabul in August 2021.
The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban has roughly 6000 fighters, and it is interesting to note that the Afghan Taliban are operationally and logistically supporting them. However, there are some dissenting voices within the ranks of the Taliban’s regime regarding their relationship with TTP. This segment of the regime believes that distancing from TTP may pave the way for improving its relations with regional countries.
Similarly, the report also discusses the activities of ISKP in Afghanistan and beyond. The group has posed a serious threat both regionally and internationally. It has approximately 2000 fighters recruited from Afghanistan and beyond.
It is evident from the report that India has failed in its campaign to link Lashkar-e-Tayyiba with terrorist groups like The Resistance Front (TRF) which initially claimed the Pahalgam attack in the Indian Occupied Kashmir. India was actually insisting that the Pahalgam attack could not have happened without LeT’s support. The claim was rejected because LeT was banned and defunct.
In addition to this, the UNSC report gives credence to the claim being made by Pakistan that there is close coordination between TTP and BLA, including the Majeed Brigade. On June 24, during a high-level debate on Afghanistan, Pakistan’s permanent representative, Mr. Asim Iftikhar, clearly stated that there was credible evidence of operational coordination between Baloch insurgent groups and the TTP.
The UNSC’s report and Pakistan’s stance must be taken seriously as the latter is currently fighting most of the groups mentioned in the report. It’s time for the world to devise a comprehensive plan to eradicate terrorism for this purpose.
