Recent events in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where members of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) reportedly set fire to a police vehicle, should not be brushed aside as a mere outburst of frustration. This incident, along with countless others, reflects a dangerous escalation of hostility by the PTM—a movement that has long crossed the line from advocacy to extremism. The PTM’s increasingly visible connections with terrorist networks, especially the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), pose a direct and serious threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty. The government’s actions to counter such forces must now move beyond mere containment; it must adopt a more aggressive and comprehensive strategy to dismantle these networks.
The PTM has repeatedly shown its disregard for Pakistan’s laws and has proven to be an enabler for anti-state forces. From its inception, the movement has aligned itself with hostile actors, both domestic and foreign, in an attempt to destabilize the nation. Evidence of the PTM’s ties to the TTP has surfaced time and again, with reports of TTP operatives openly participating in PTM gatherings. This is not just an organization advocating for rights; it is a group that has aligned itself with terrorist elements seeking to tear the country apart. The government’s move to ban the PTM under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) was not just necessary—it was long overdue.
Moreover, the PTM’s deep-rooted connections with hostile foreign agencies, especially through Afghanistan, paint an even darker picture. With Afghanistan providing covert support to the PTM, the movement’s rhetoric and actions increasingly seem to serve Afghanistan’s interests rather than Pakistan’s. No sovereign nation can tolerate a movement that acts as a proxy for external powers and terrorist groups. The PTM is no longer just a local concern—it is part of a larger, dangerous nexus that seeks to weaken Pakistan from within.
Equally troubling is the parallel threat posed by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) in Balochistan. Just as the PTM has ties to the TTP, the BYC has shown disturbing affiliations with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a notorious terrorist organization responsible for countless attacks on civilians and law enforcement personnel. While both groups cloak themselves in the language of “rights advocacy,” their actions suggest a much darker agenda: one of separatism, extremism, and violence.
The government has already taken the right step by banning the PTM, but it must now extend this decisive action to the BYC. Like the PTM, the BYC operates under the guise of fighting for rights but is in fact furthering the cause of terrorism and fragmentation of the state. The government must make it clear that no organization, no matter how it frames its cause, will be allowed to support or promote the activities of terrorist groups like the BLA.
Pakistan’s security and territorial integrity are at stake. Both the PTM and BYC are not merely movements for local grievances—they are part of a broader campaign, supported by foreign entities, to destabilize the country. The state must act now, with full force, to dismantle these groups before their agendas cause irreversible harm.
While the government has made significant strides in curbing terrorism, more needs to be done to neutralize the masterminds behind these movements. Key leaders of the PTM and BYC must be held accountable, and the state must use every tool at its disposal to bring them to justice. For too long, these organizations have been allowed to operate under the radar, pushing their extremist ideologies and fostering unrest.
It is time for Pakistan to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward any group that seeks to weaken the nation’s sovereignty. The recent ban on the PTM was a necessary first step, but the BYC must be next. These organizations, backed by hostile forces and terrorist groups, cannot be allowed to continue their activities unchecked. The government must act swiftly and decisively to dismantle these networks and safeguard the country’s future.
