By Shamim Shahid
PESHAWAR: Once again, the people of Peshawar were jolted early Monday morning by powerful explosions — at a time when mothers were preparing their children for school and workers were rushing to offices. In the heart of the highly sensitive Peshawar Cantonment, militants targeted the headquarters of the Frontier Constabulary (FC).
According to Capital City Police Chief Dr. Mian Saeed Ahmad, the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who struck the compound, resulting in the martyrdom of three FC personnel and injuries to seven others, including a passerby tailor. All four terrorists — including the suicide bomber — were killed in the retaliatory action.
This is not the first attack on this sensitive facility. On August 4, 2010, its then Commandant, Shaheed Sifwat Ghayur, was assassinated in a similar suicide attack. Since then, the compound has remained heavily guarded. Yet, no one can deny that for the last two and a half decades, terrorism and violence have become a constant reality throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Despite repeated claims from security institutions of having “crushed militants, dismantled networks, and eliminated top commanders and facilitators,” the situation remains grim. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan have taken a serious downturn. Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering the banned TTP’s top leadership and enabling attacks across Pakistan. However, the Taliban regime rejects these allegations, calling the violence an internal issue of Pakistan.
True to the tradition of former Taliban supreme leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, the current Afghan Taliban leadership considers the banned TTP members as “guests.” They insist these Pakistani militants are living peacefully on Afghan soil and deny their involvement in attacks inside Pakistan. On this basis, they urge Pakistan to negotiate directly with them. Yet, the reality remains that the banned TTP maintains an extensive network inside Pakistan and continues to carry out acts of terrorism. Afghan Taliban officials, for their part, argue that Pakistani security institutions must acknowledge their own shortcomings.
Regardless of the accusations from either side, today’s terrorism and extremism are direct legacies of the so-called Afghan Jihad — a war funded and supported by US-led allies against the former USSR, fought from Afghan soil. In the latest phase of this geopolitical game, the Doha Accord effectively restored the Taliban to power on August 15, 2021. Pakistan attached great hopes to this development, but policymakers failed to understand the mindset and ideological rigidity of the Afghan Taliban.
Since August 2021, Pakistan has repeatedly attempted to pressure the Taliban government into aligning with its concerns — but without success. The once-celebrated “partnership” between Pakistan and the Taliban has now devolved into hostility. After clashes in the second week of October, all diplomatic, trade, and social ties between the two countries were suspended. Afghanistan is now developing alternative trade routes, while Pakistan continues to demand action against the banned TTP. The Taliban deny involvement, citing the fenced border, which they argue makes cross-border movement nearly impossible — a view that some analysts partially endorse.
The core issue is clear: both sides suffer from decades-old mistrust. Within Pakistan itself, security agencies also face gaps in coordination and disagreement over how to counter terrorism — a threat inherited from foreign-sponsored conflicts of the past. It is time for the leadership in Rawalpindi and Islamabad to revisit outdated, ineffective, and obsolete policies toward Afghanistan. It is equally essential to recognise the role of political leadership in addressing internal and external challenges through dialogue and diplomacy.
The people of Pakistan — particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan — have endured immense suffering. They cannot afford more bloodshed or instability. Citizens across Punjab and Sindh also deserve peace, stability, and prosperity. It is time to acknowledge the pain of innocent people who not only bury their loved ones but also struggle daily with poverty, unemployment, and underdevelopment.
Only a bold rethinking of policy, grounded in political engagement rather than coercion, can break this tragic cycle of violence.
