On June 25, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) launched a massive rally in the Khyber district. Thousands of people attended. The rally was called in response to the Pakistan federal government’s latest decision to launch a new military operation, named Azm-e-Istehkam, to counter the rising tide of terrorism in the country. The announcement came days after Chinese officials expressed displeasure over Pakistan’s deplorable security situation, and urged Islamabad to improve security for Chinese workers in Pakistan and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
While the specific target area for the military operation is not yet known, the announcement has sent shockwaves across the Pashtun region in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the former tribal districts known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), prompting strong reactions from both nationalist and religious parties.
Pashtuns’ concerns are not unfounded, as they have endured significant suffering during past operations, leading to worries that the new operation could bring back that traumatic past.
Kaleem Dawar*, a 46-year-old fruit seller in the North Waziristan district, told The Diplomat, “We have seen enough wars, destruction, and bloodshed. We don’t want it anymore. Our memories hurt, and we don’t want to go back to the past again.” Dawar concluded with tears forming at the corners of his eyes, asking, “Who in the whole world would want continuous wars and bloodshed?”
Following Pakistan’s announcement of a new military operation, the Hafiz Gul Bahadur (HGB) group announced the launch of a counter-operation named Al-Fatah bi al-Nusratul Rehman, to oppose the security forces in North Waziristan. Additionally, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) also announced a counter-operation named Azm-e-Shariat in response to Pakistan’s military operation, aiming to increase its attacks in Pakistan.
It is feared that in the ensuing struggle between the militants and the military, average Pashtuns are likely to suffer the most.
Doubts About the New Military Offensive
Pashtuns are skeptical about the motives behind the new military offensive. Some in the Pashtun nationalist leadership argue that the offensive should have been launched in the Punjab province instead, where religious extremism is deep-rooted and widespread, with numerous militant groups operating in the region.
Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the president of Awami National Party (ANP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told The Diplomat, “There are around 70 terrorist organizations in Punjab which, according to the National Action Plan, should have been eradicated, but they haven’t been. If a military operation has to start, it has to start from Punjab.”
ANP is a traditional Pashtun nationalist party.
“The decision to launch a military operation was made in haste and without any consultation, and without taking the parliament and stakeholders into confidence, that’s why we reject it,” added Hussain.
Prominent Pashtun nationalist leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai also strongly protested the decision, stating that military operations in the tribal areas are carried out to take control of natural resources. He made these comments while addressing a jirga in Peshawar. Achakzai is the leader of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) and the opposition alliance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). He threatened to take the issue to the International Court of Justice.
Knowing well that the past military offensives were ineffective and useless, Afrasiab Khattak, a former senator and leader of the National Democratic Movement, considers the Azm-e-Istehkam operation part of “a new great game.” He said that the operation would bring more bloodshed, cause further displacement, and lead to the destruction of people’s homes.
Effects of Military Operations in the Pashtun Areas
Terrorism on a significant scale has emerged twice in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. First, several years before the formation of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to 2017, and then after the fall of Kabul to the Afghan Taliban in 2021. To fight the first wave of terrorism in Pashtun areas, Pakistan launched a series of military operations, starting with Operation Al-Mizan in 2002 in the North Waziristan tribal agency and continuing on to Operation Zarb-e-Azb in 2014 in multiple locations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
These operations led to massive civilian casualties, internal displacement, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. In 2009 alone, more than 6,000 civilians were killed in operational attacks and Pakistan’s armed forces injured more than 3,000 more. Meanwhile, around 6 million Pashtuns have been displaced.
Azam Wazir, a 34-year-old rickshaw driver from North Waziristan, told The Diplomat, “I lost both my parents and my two siblings in the conflict between the militants and the armed forces. I was the only survivor of the gunfire from both sides. We were going home, and the fighting was extremely intense, and with bullets flying everywhere, it was impossible to avoid getting hit.”
Wazir had to move to a more peaceful region, so he moved to Dera Ismail Khan but stayed far away from his hometown. He was torn away from his family and hometown in 2007. “I feel a hole in my heart,” Wazir concluded, expressing his grief.
There are others like Wazir who lost almost everything in Pakistan’s earlier military offensives in the Pashtun tribal areas. Aleem Jan Mehsud, who lived in South Waziristan before the war, told The Diplomat, “I, along with my family, were holed up in our house for three full days as the war raged on until our ration went out, and we had to find some food to survive till the guns were silenced. But we did not know what awaited us. A huge rocket hit that part of our house where we had taken refuge, and the whole thing fell, and everything went black. As I recovered consciousness, I saw that there was only rubble. I immediately stood up to rescue my family, but they were deep down beneath the rubble. Only my younger sister and I survived the destruction.” Like Wazir, he also had to move somewhere else to restart his life. He moved to the Tank district in 2016 and has never returned to his hometown.
These stories represent the experiences of almost everyone in the Pashtun tribal districts, which remained the battleground for militants and the Pakistan armed forces.
Resisting Terrorism and Military Adventurism
With the fall of Kabul in 2021, terrorism returned to Pakistan. However, the resurgence was mainly observed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa came out against this development in large numbers in different cities in an organized effort called Ulasi Pasoon (Public Uprising). The first major Ulasi Pasoon was observed on October 11, 2022, in which thousands of people took to the streets of Swat in what is termed the biggest protest in Swat’s history to protest against the resurgent violence, with some 15,000 people participating. The protest was sparked by the assassination of a school bus driver by unknown assailants. The protestors claimed that they were worried about the spiraling terrorism and the return of the past.
Other huge demonstrations like the one in Swat followed in Lakki Marwat, Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, and many other locations. This year, too, peace rallies have been held against terrorism. On June 22, PTM held a huge gathering in Razmak, South Waziristan, to protest against the rising terrorism. Similarly, following the killing of ex-senator Hidayatullah in a bomb blast recently, a huge rally was held in Bajaur district on July 5 to protest his killing and rising terrorism.
Similar to resisting terrorism, the Pashtuns have equally resisted military adventurism on their land. Like the PTM rally in Khyber district against the proposed military operation but on a slightly lower scale, the Dir Olasi Pasoon arranged a rally on June 24 in Timergara, Lower Dir, against the proposed military operation. In another episode, leading a peace rally in Mingora on July 4, the Provincial Minister for Forests, Environment, Climate Change, and Wildlife, Fazal Hakeem, said that no one would be allowed to disturb the peace of Malakand division in the name of military operations.
Opposition to the proposed military operation amongst the Pashtuns is expanding. On July 5, a protest was organized in the Orakzai tribal district against the proposed military operation. The same-day peace walks were held in different locations in Swat Valley as well.
Determined and committed to resisting the new military offensive, the PTM called for a nationwide protest on July 7, urging Pashtuns in Pakistan to come out in all the districts and record their protests. To register their protest, Pashtuns came out in large numbers in multiple districts. These rallies and marches with large numbers of people participating in them in different areas speak volumes about how the ordinary Pashtuns perceive the proposed military offensive. They feel threatened by it.
As the terrorists continue carrying out attacks and Pashtuns oppose them, a military operation is a more destructive and unacceptable phenomenon to them. Hashim Afridi*, a low-key businessman in the Khyber district who has witnessed the destruction caused by military operations in his region, told The Diplomat, “The terrorists ask for extortions, but they at least let us continue working. In the military operations, we lose everything…our homes, our shops and businesses, our loved ones, and our lives.”
“I have rebuilt my lost fortune with hard work and cannot tolerate more senseless wars, indiscriminate violence, and destruction. We need our businesses and houses intact, and we need to live for which we would oppose any new military operation!” he concluded emotionally.
He had lost his warehouses and shops in the early days of a military offensive in the Khyber district and had moved to Peshawar before returning to his hometown once again in 2020.
*Some source names have been changed due to safety concerns.