WAR ON TERROR AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/girr.2022(V-IV).02      10.31703/girr.2022(V-IV).02      Published : Dec 2022
Authored by : Uroosa Ishfaq , Kashif Ashfaq , Muhammad Haroon

02 Pages : 13-20

    Abstract

    Pakistan’s role as a front-line country for the US in the War on Terror has profound implications for its domestic politics and foreign policy. With a majority Pashtun population, KPK has been a target of the War on Terror because of its social setup, cultural restraints, and the faith of its population at the boundary with Afghanistan. The socio-cultural similarities and geographical proximity with Afghanistan have made it important for Al-Qaeda militants. The War on Terror in KPK had negative political, economic,and social repercussions for the area and as a result, created hatred in the Pashtuns. This paper is an attempt to analyze the elements which made the Pashtuns of this place vulnerable to militancy. It explores the political, economic, and social implications of the War on Terror for KPK and its Pashtun populace specifically.

    Key Words

    US, War on Terror, KP, Al-Qaida, Militants, Afghanistan

    Introduction

    Use the term "terrorist" to describe an act of violence that includes intimidation, damage, and the killing of people for any motive (political or religious). As a terrorist attack destroys or disrupts a state's infrastructure and political stability, it also disrupts the state's social fabric and causes economic losses. Since the events of September 11, 2001, Pakistan has been engaged in counterterrorism efforts. More than 70,000 civilians and security personnel have lost their lives as a result of this. On September 11, 2001, a terrorist attack on the United States was made. Osama bin Laden was held responsible for it by the Bush administration. A worldwide crime against humanity had been committed, and it was apparent that a long-term response would be accompanied by severe repercussions (Khan & Ahmed, 2017).

    After 9/11, the United States led the War on terror. Because of its strategic significance, Pakistan was dragged into the war and forced to bear a heavy social and cultural toll throughout the global war on terror, which is often overlooked when addressing the true toll of the conflict. The social sector has seen a number of developments that have disrupted and aggrieved the general population, having a substantial impact on each person's daily existence. Many militants funded by Afghanistan, Arabs, Central Asian states, and other governments were, directly and indirectly, active in causing unrest and fostering an atmosphere conducive to the growth of terrorism. They spread their ideas and faiths, particularly the more violent ones, to individuals whose minds they had already contaminated. Because tribal people are very devout and real believers in religion, violent organizations use Islam's theology to mislead them in their own goals and aspirations. There were various elements that contributed to the rise of terrorism, including the local population, religious groups, and more (Salaman, 2012). This method freed them from the control of security personnel, allowing them to discover ways to generate money. As a consequence, the distance between the people and the executive branches of the state was at its highest point(Christine, 2004). Misinformation about Pakistan's peacekeeping troops led to widespread public backing for terrorist organizations. Many people believe that terrorist organizations pose a danger to their safety, and as a result, they either provide financial support or provide a safe haven for members of these organizations. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has been targeted by Pakistani security forces in an effort to eliminate the threat of terrorists. More terrorist activities have been committed as a consequence of this. Even jirgahs and burial sites have been spared from being speared by terrorists(Sunawar, 2015).

    People's daily routines have been significantly disrupted by terrorism. In places under the authority of terrorists, social life was in ruins. Women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA districts were particularly harmed by religious strictness since health services were few in these areas. Due to a lack of medical personnel and equipment, as well as religious prohibitions, women were unable to get treatment from male physicians. Medical camps have been set up by the Pakistani army in combat zones, but only if women are allowed to treat the patients. Terrorism has also taken a toll on education in the tribal parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the number of educational institutions is very low. Terrorists invade and destroyed women schools (Abbasi, 2013). Terrorists fear that women's education will put us at risk in the future, so they've placed severe restrictions on the freedom of movement of women in conflict zones. Khyber-culture Pakhtunkhwa's physical infrastructure were also harmed by terrorist activities. The number of people out of work, the number of criminal acts, etc. This current study investigates the impacts of the war against terrorism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa(Arif, Kayani & Khalil, 2017).


    Social Impacts of War on Terrorism in KPK

    People's lives have been significantly disrupted by terrorism in a variety of ways. There was a profound upheaval in the social order of militant-controlled regions. Women in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA suffered particularly because of the strict observance of religion, i.e. women suffered because of the absence of health services in these regions. Due to a lack of medical professionals and medical equipment, as well as stringent religious prohibitions, women were prohibited from receiving treatment from male physicians. As a result of Pakistan's military setting up medical camps in combat zones, women who sought care from male doctors were assassinated by their family members because of gender imbalance. Further the number of schools in the tribal regions of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA is very low. Terrorists damaged and occupied schools for women(Ahmad, 2010). Terrorists believe that women's education poses a significant danger to us in the future, thus they have placed significant limitations on women's freedom of movement in areas of conflict (Khan & Ahmed, 2017). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's culture and physical infrastructure were badly harmed by terrorist activity. Crime, unemployment, and other factors have all risen in recent years(Kroonstad 2007).

    Education

    An individual's or a society's well-being may be improved via education. Most girls' educational institutions were demolished by militants who claimed that such schools provided a modern education for youngsters in general but specifically for female. Education is a critical aspect for the growth of all countries. During this time period, extremists shuttered all girls' schools and urged their parents not to enroll their daughters in any contemporary educational institutions. Schools in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas were assaulted. State armed personnel employed a big number of schools as training camp to combat terrorism. As part of a strategy to teach militant beliefs to the region's children, militants targeted many schools. The highlight schools because they are under the umbrella of the infidel system of education. A spokeswoman for the Mohmand Agency stated in January 2011: " (Abbasi, 2016). 

     


    Table1. Number of School and Colleges Destroyed (2003 2012)

    Year

    A number of educational institutions destructed

    2003-2007

    100

    2008

    119

    2009

    188

    2010

    129

    2011

    142

    2012

    121

    Total

    799
    TourismTourists were scared away by the country's history of civil conflict, governmental instability, and general horror. Pakistan's economy relied heavily on tourism before the war on terror began. Tourism in the state was severely impacted by military actions in the valley of swat. In the north, which is regarded as Pakistan's most beautiful tourist destination, the focus is not on sightseeing but rather on climbing and traversing the country's most treacherous mountains. At Malam Jabba (Swat), Pakistan's only ski resort, militants set fire to the building in June 2008, causing $600,000 in damage to the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC). Nanga Parbat was the scene of a second assault by the TTP Taliban on June 22, 2013, in which ten international tourists and locals were slain. TTP claimed responsibility for the drone assault that killed one of its leaders, Wali ur Rahman, and asserted that we were responsible. It is apparent that the Taliban has authority over tourist areas, since the Nanga Parbat terrorist investigation team was also assassinated in Chillas in May 2013. A total of one million tourists, including those traveling by bus, visit Pakistan each year, bringing in almost $300 million in income for Pakistan. The term "tourist" may be used to describe someone who travels to a country other than their own country for a period of less than a year, and whose primary goal is not to work in the country they are visiting, but rather to experience the culture and traditions of the country they are visiting. According to the 2013 World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, Pakistan is ranked 122nd out of 140 nations (Abbasi, 2013). Pakistan's beauty and historical and religious importance have dwindled, but the number of Pakistanis returning to their homeland has risen in the past, mostly due to the large number of 2nd and 3rd generation Pakistanis living in Europe. A rise in the number of tourists to Pakistan has been accompanied by an overall decline in interest from both international visitors as well as Pakistani residents due to the country's problems with tourism, insecurity, and instability. Tourism has been decimated by tourists activities and military operations in places like Swat, which have resulted in a decrease in hotel revenue(Coll, 2004).
    DisplacementAccording to the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies, 2.7 to 3.5 million people have been displaced as a result of security operations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA, making this the greatest displacement in Pakistani history. More than 42,800 people from South Waziristan had registered as IDPs by the end of 2009. Fear of terrorism and poor economic circumstances kept these IDPs from returning to their homes after the conclusion of military operations. The women and children at the camps in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa where the IDPs from Swat Valley were housed suffered horribly. More than 69,000 pregnant women were among the Swat's IDPs and were staying in camps in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, according to the UNFPA (Ali 2015).Between 84,000 and 100,000 people were displaced in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while the number of people who fled Mohmand and Bajaur agencies is estimated at 7,50000 due to increased security concerns. Local residents, especially women, and children, were subjected to both physical and psychological abuse and suffering throughout the war. They were further traumatized by their dread of death and emotions of power lessness (Raja, 2019).
    Rate of UnemploymentTerrorist acts reduce job chances, according to a study by Baum, Dugan, and Cafree (2007), which looked at employment and business output in Italy from 1985 to 1997. As a social problem, employment is more important than an economic one since it affects everyone's lives. During the year from 2009-2010 to 2010-2011, Pakistan's employment rate rose from 3.12 million to 3.40 million(Taj, 2010). The figures for KhyberPakhtunkhwa's urban regions indicate a rise in unemployment from 0.10 million in 2009-2010 to 0.12 million in 2010-2011 as a result of an uptick in terrorist activity. However, no data are available for FATA. Many individuals were out of work because of terrorism, according to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa unemployment table. 
    Table2. Rate of Unemployment in KP and Pakistan 2009- 11

    Region

    2009 -2010 total

    2010-2011

    Total

    Male from 2009_10

    Female from 2009-10

    Male from 2010-11

    Female from 2010-11

    Pakistan

    3.12

    3.40

    1.91

    1.21

    2.22

    1.18

    Rural

    1.89

    1.85

    1.12

    0.77

    1.14

    0.71

    Urban

    1.23

    1.55

    0.79

    0.44

    1.08

    0.47

    KPK

    0.55

    0.53

    0.35

    0.20

    0.32

    0.22

    Rural

    0.45

    0.41

    0.29

    0.16

    0.25

    0.16

    Urban

    0.10

    0.12

    0.06

    0.04

    0.07

    0.05
    Source: Labor force survey, Pakistan bureau statistics 
     Taking part in Pakistan's anti-terrorism effort has resulted in high unemployment in the afflicted regions, which has exacerbated rural poverty, according to the Ministry of Finance the proportion increased from 23.9% to 37.5% from 2007-08 (Irshad, 2015). Three million people were displaced as a result of military operations against insurgent organizations in the Swat Valley, which eventually disrupted local economic activities. The GDP of KHYBER-PAKHTUNKHWA was 3 percent lower than the national economy in 2007 and 2008 as a result of terrorist activity (Nawaz, 2009).
    Human CostAfter the September 11 attacks, the United States launched a war on terror to combat terrorists. For this reason, the Pakistani province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA were seen as terrorist hotbeds because of their cultural similarities and geographic proximity as the table has given below; 
    Table3. Fatalities in Violent or Security Incidents (2009-2018)

    Type of incidents

    No. of incidents

    Fatalities

    Terrorists attacks by nationalist insurgents

    3678

    3035

    Political /election related violence

    1113

    2185

    Terrorist attacks by militants

    8118

    11652

    Clashes between security forces and militants

    1235

    7015

    Inter-tribal clashes attack

    249

    800

    Terrorist attacks

    971

    2835

    Drone attacks

    352

    2817

    Inter militants’ clashes/ attacks

    389

    2012

    Mobs violent protests

    7

    4
    Source: PIPS Islamabad report by Safdar Hussain 2019. 
     As many as 17,513 civilians, 5,796 law enforcement officers, and 27,622 militants were murdered in violent events out of the total of 50,931 individuals killed. 
    Table4. Violent Incidents and Deaths caused among Security Personnel

    Security and lawen for cement agency

    Terrorist attacks

    Military or security operations

    Clashes encounters with militants

    Political violence

    Border attacks

    Fc

    1103

    25

    250

    0

    53

    Police and khassadar

    1942

    10

    93

    35

    22

    Unspecified paramilitaries

    160

    0

    20

    0

    1

    Army

    1136

    157

    267

    02

    159

    Levies

    229

    0

    21

    1

    19

    Rangers

    62

    5

    4

    0

    5

    Total

    4632

    197

    655

    38

    259
    The majority of civilians and security personnel were killed in the terrorist strikes that took place. The table should provide a breakdown of the number of officers killed in the line of duty” (Hussain , 2019).Terrorist organizations in Pakistan have increasingly turned to suicide assaults as a means of inflicting massive harm during the last several years. Suicide bomber goes after government offices, embassies, law enforcement, and the general public in malls.Drone strikes have been used by the United States to murder terrorists. About 318 drone strikes, resulted in the deaths of about 2,365 persons. America initiated a campaign of state-sponsored aggression that resulted in civilian casualties (Abbasi 2016).

Sports

8 persons, including six police officers, were killed and six players were wounded when a terrorist gang assaulted the Sri Lankan cricket team during a tournament in Lahore on March 23, 2009. Terrorists chose sports as a target because, according to the terrorist, it was an un-Islamic activity. The New Zealand squad visited Pakistan in May 2002 and departed the country after a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the hotel where they were staying. After the 2002 and 2009 assaults, the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to revoke Pakistan's hosting rights for the 2011 Cricket World Cup because of security concerns. Due to the rise in militancy in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, no international team wanted to visit Pakistan since 2009. However, the West Indies squad visited Pakistan for the first time in April 2018 after assaults, but did not play a single match in Peshawar Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Due to security concerns, the matches were conducted in the National Stadium Karachi. Below you'll find a history of Arbab Niaz Stadium's past events and past matches.

 


Table 5. International Matches Information

First test

8-11 Sept  1995 Pak VS SL

Last test

27-30 Aug 2003 Pak VS BAN

First ODI

2 Nov 1984 Pak VS India

Last ODI

6 Feb 2006 Pak VS India
Source ESPN CRICINFO (29 AUG 2009)
 Due to the Shahi Bagh stadium's lack of security, international matches should not be held there after February 6, 2006. Since the incident, the Indian and Bangla cricket teams have cancelled scheduled visits to Pakistan, costing the cricket board roughly USD 97 million (Arif, Kayani & Khalil, 2017). In the area of "TV rights sales, sponsorship, and in-stadium rights, radio broadcasting and SMS and audio streaming rights, GATE money and so on," a loss has been incurred. PCB was able to guarantee additional expenditure of around USD 1.4 million every series as a consequence of having its Home series at an independent venue (Abbasi 2013). As a consequence of the war on terror, Pakistan has suffered financial losses and the inability to conduct junior tours, meaning that young Pakistani cricketers cannot participate in international competitions(Nazir, 2011).
Table6. Arbabniaz Stadium Ground Information

Location

Peshawar

Establishment

1984

Capacity

20000

Owner

Sports board Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

Operator

District cricket association ( AS ,lessee)

Tenants

Peshawar zalmi  , Peshawar cricket from Peshawar panther, DCA  Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan

Conclusion

People in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan have turned against the state's law enforcement agencies and law and order as a result of the war on terrorism, which had a significant influence on religious radicals. Most of the security staff, which includes rangers and police officers were assigned the task to protect politicians and other high-ranking officials, and the situation has become worse. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Pashtun population as well as those living along the Durand Line and in federally administered territories are considered war casualties in the war against terrorism. When the Taliban claimed to be Pashtuns of Khyber Pakhtunkwa because of cultural, religious, and linguistic connections, the U.S. military attacked these regions as well, resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians in the process. Extremist groups have put stringent limitations on women's education in targeted regions, and they are not allowed to see male physicians for medical assistance. Militants organizations believed music to be forbidden, forcing individuals to worship and women to observe Pardah.

During the war on terror, Pakistan's financial situation was genuinely dismal. The family business has been shattered. The level of fear mongering is rising steadily, which has resulted in a significant increase in the budget for security measures. The biggest price the country has had to bear for the war on terror has been the loss of human life. The loss of a family member to a terrorist attack has significant emotional, social, and economical repercussions. It's impossible to estimate how many people a single person's death affects. The whole society is affected and people's minds are filled with fear as a result.  Pakistan has paid a heavy price in terms of civilian deaths, economic instability, and the destruction of infrastructure as a result of the war against terrorism. As a result of a volatile business climate and acts of terrorism, GDP growth slowed, military spending rose, tourism suffered significant losses, stock market performance dipped, and foreign direct and indirect investment plummeted. Threats from extremists undermine state sovereignty. Afghan Islamic militants were the ones who first started the guerrilla war. Between the United States and the extremist organizations, the government's top officials were caught in the crossfire. Additionally, the international community has been a major contributor to the rise of terrorism across Pakistan, especially in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province. 

Policy Recommendations

Following are the steps that should be taken by the government to avoid terrorism and its negative implications over society;

? If the government can launch awareness and education programs in the targeted areas, the people's minds can be completely diverted back to education.

? Traditional institutions that were destroyed by terrorists should also be restored by law enforcement and government officials.

? To draw visitors from neighbouring states, the government could organize exhibits and festivals in these areas.

? Officials from the government should also pay attention to the parks and playgrounds that are available to children and teenagers in order to encourage them to participate in healthy and positive activities.

? The terrorist activity must be monitored and checked on by the intelligence and community's watchdogs.

? Police and military checkpoints are built along highways, but terrorists utilized back roads, thus Pakistan's government should take this into consideration while preventing terrorism.

? Governmental entities should work to rebuild health care facilities for citizens so that they have easy access to hospitals due to the harm done by terrorists.

? The government should not allow foreign forces to intervene in the internal affairs of our country.

? Pakistan's armed forces must take decisive action against insurgents and militants.

References

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Cite this article

APA

CHICAGO

    CHICAGO : Ishfaq, Uroosa, Kashif Ashfaq, and Muhammad Haroon. 2022. "War on Terror and its Implications on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa." Global International Relations Review, V (IV): 13-20 doi: 10.31703/girr.2022(V-IV).02

HARVARD

    HARVARD : ISHFAQ, U., ASHFAQ, K. & HAROON, M. 2022. War on Terror and its Implications on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Global International Relations Review, V, 13-20.

MHRA

    MHRA : Ishfaq, Uroosa, Kashif Ashfaq, and Muhammad Haroon. 2022. "War on Terror and its Implications on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa." Global International Relations Review, V: 13-20

MLA

    MLA : Ishfaq, Uroosa, Kashif Ashfaq, and Muhammad Haroon. "War on Terror and its Implications on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa." Global International Relations Review, V.IV (2022): 13-20 Print.

OXFORD

    OXFORD : Ishfaq, Uroosa, Ashfaq, Kashif, and Haroon, Muhammad (2022), "War on Terror and its Implications on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa", Global International Relations Review, V (IV), 13-20

TURABIAN

    TURABIAN : Ishfaq, Uroosa, Kashif Ashfaq, and Muhammad Haroon. "War on Terror and its Implications on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa." Global International Relations Review V, no. IV (2022): 13-20. https://doi.org/10.31703/girr.2022(V-IV).02