Attempts by the Taliban to unite militant factions in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have failed due to their conflicting agendas, exposing their hollow claims of “protecting the people.”
Balochistan-based groups, some of which have received limited facilitation from the East Turkistan Islamic Party, mainly target Chinese investment projects, mega development schemes, and even innocent Punjabi laborers and security forces. In contrast, KP-based groups pursue different strategies towards the government and local population.
Despite these differences, both militant camps have inflicted massive devastation. Far from defending local communities, they have deprived people of progress, halted development, and dragged entire provinces backwards. “These are the very actors who have made life miserable for ordinary citizens,” said an analyst who studies the war on terror.
A TTP source revealed to TKC that commanders are dividing territories for extortion money collection. They are quietly working on an unwritten arrangement to allow each other space in certain regions. Insiders also disclosed that Afghans and fighters with weak links to leadership are pushed into violent operations, while those closer to commanders are shielded from the battlefield.
Such revelations further expose the militants’ hypocrisy: enriching themselves through blood money while sacrificing vulnerable recruits and destroying communities.
