Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) stands as the biggest threat facing Pakistan today. Because of TTP, Islamabad has even had to carry out air strikes in Afghanistan. After all, what is TTP, what is its purpose? Why does Pakistan want to end it?
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was formed in 2007 by the coming together of various extremist groups operating separately in Pakistan. The existence of TTP was officially announced in December 2007 under the leadership of Baitullah Mehsud (who has since died).
This step was actually taken in response to the Pakistani military operation against al-Qaeda terrorists in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
The current leader of the TTP is Noor Wali Mehsud, who has publicly pledged allegiance to the Afghan Taliban. Both Taliban share a similar ideology but the two groups have different operations and command structures.
TTP aims to overthrow the Government of Pakistan by waging a terrorist campaign against the Pakistani armed forces and the state. According to media reports, it wants to oust the elected government of Pakistan and lay the foundation of a fundamentalist regime based on its interpretation of Islamic law.
TTP’s stronghold is the tribal area around the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, from where it recruits its fighters.
This terrorist group is responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan. He was also involved in the incident of shooting at Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai. Malala was shot in 2012 for campaigning against the Taliban’s efforts to deny women education. She survived the attack.
Different estimates have been made about the strength of Pakistani Taliban.
According to a media report, in last week’s UN Security Council briefing, Pakistani diplomat Usman Iqbal Jadun said, "With 6,000 fighters, TTP is the largest listed terrorist organization operating in Afghanistan. With safe havens close to our border, it is a direct and daily threat to Pakistan’s security."
TTP increased its activism after Taliban again captured power in Kabul in August 2021. The deep relations between Afghan Taliban and Pakistan got extremely spoiled because of TTP.
In recent days, Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan government of harboring the TTP. However, Kabul has been rejecting Islamabad’s claim. However, the Afghan Taliban mediated talks between Pakistan and the TTP, which led to the release of dozens of TTP prisoners in Pakistan.
