In every act of terrorism, from a school bombing to a roadside ambush on security forces, there is one silent partner that rarely gets exposed: money. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), responsible for decades of carnage in Pakistan, does not survive on ideology alone. Behind the Kalashnikovs, behind the IEDs, behind the bullet-riddled corpses of our soldiers and citizens, there is a financial supply chain that keeps the TTP machine running. And it’s time we stop looking the other way.
TTP apologists often paint the group as a homegrown ideological movement born out of grievance and religious zeal. This is a lie. What they won’t tell you is that behind every “ideological” fighter is a web of extortion rackets, cross-border drug trades, illegal mining operations, and above all, foreign funding routed through NGOs, hawala networks, and charity fronts. These so-called defenders of Islam have more in common with the Sicilian mafia than any spiritual movement. They kidnap for ransom, impose taxes on helpless locals in tribal districts, and run a shadow economy of terror.
And who enables this ecosystem? The answer isn’t confined to caves in Kunar or dens in Waziristan. It spreads into plush drawing rooms in Kabul, bank accounts in Doha, social media fundraisers in Europe, and intelligence operatives who see TTP as a pawn on the geopolitical chessboard. For years, Afghanistan served as a sanctuary where TTP regrouped, rearmed, and relaunched its war on Pakistan. This didn’t happen in a vacuum. The silence of Western diplomats, the selective outrage of global watchdogs, and the covert wink of hostile intelligence agencies formed the invisible ink of TTP’s balance sheet.
Let’s also not forget the so-called humanitarian aid channels that magically find their way to militant strongholds under the guise of education, medical relief, or tribal rights. These NGOs, either willingly complicit or criminally negligent, act as logistical lifelines. And yet, when Pakistan raises the issue on international forums, the response is often muted, riddled with double standards, or worse, redirected back with accusations of “human rights violations.”
The tragedy is that while Pakistan buries its martyrs, while families light fatiha for loved ones lost in market blasts and mosque attacks, the funding trail remains unbroken. The global system that tracks every suspicious transaction when it comes to Western banks somehow becomes blind when terror money flows into TTP coffers. Every bullet fired by TTP is paid for. The real question is: will the world ever hold the financiers accountable?
