New Delhi, March 11 – A parallel government has taken control of the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in Pakistan, as Pakistani security forces have been unable to contain the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The conflict against the Afghan Taliban and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) appears to have weakened the Pakistani security forces, which has allowed the TTP to make significant advances.
Indian officials monitoring the situation say that the TTP has successfully established its dominance in the Khyber district. Reports of TTP cadres conducting searches and checks at various locations in the region are circulating.
Local police have become completely ineffective, and the presence of TTP cadres conducting search operations is now commonplace, officials say.
While the TTP has not been directly involved in day-to-day governance, it has managed to control the security apparatus, which has effectively rendered the local police powerless.
The TTP is, however, aware that it needs funding to sustain its operations. Consequently, TTP operatives have been collecting donations from the local population.
In the long term, the TTP is attempting to exert control over the region. It is informing the people that it is in control and that this will soon become the new normal. The local security forces have refrained from engaging with the TTP, as they realize they would be overwhelmed.
In the Bara region of KP, the TTP's dominance is complete. There is a brazen display of authority, and the lack of any response from the Pakistani administration has been a key factor in the TTP's success.
Officials say that the TTP has not faced any resistance from the local population. The people of KP have long complained against the Pakistani establishment. They are also unhappy that the Pakistani Army has been engaged in a conflict with the Taliban. While it is unclear whether they support the TTP, they have made it clear that they oppose the Pakistani government's treatment of the region.
Another official says that the TTP realizes that it has made significant gains in the region and that it will not lose them. This explains why the TTP has established security checkpoints in multiple locations. The outfit does not want any officials from the Pakistani security forces to enter the region. Further checks are also being conducted to prevent the entry of arms and ammunition.
Officials say that although the Pakistani establishment is currently silent, it will soon deploy groups such as the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and Lashkar-e-Tayiba to combat the TTP. This has been the plan for some time, and in recent months, the Pakistani establishment has been engaging with ISKP both officially and unofficially.
The ISKP is currently in the process of setting up death squads to be used in both KP and Balochistan. The Pakistani establishment has realized that it is unable to fight groups such as the TTP and BLA in conventional ways. Islamabad believes that the ISKP is more adept at fighting these groups, and therefore, they are being deployed heavily, officials say.
Indian agencies say that the situation in KP is dire, and a major escalation is likely. Pakistan is currently focused on its war against the Afghan Taliban and has not been able to devote resources to KP, officials say.