Terrorism In Pakistan: Its Causes, Impacts And Remedies

Introduction:
At present the gravest problem that Pakistan is faces
is terrorism. It has become a headache for federation and a
nightmare for public. Though, it is a global issue but Pakistan has
to bear the brunt of it. Pakistan’s involvement in the War on Terror
has further fuelled the fire. We are facing war like situation
against the terrorists. This daunting situation is caused due to
several factors. These factors include social injustice, economic
disparity, political instability, religious intolerance and also
external hands or international conspiracies. A handful of people
who have their vicious interests to fulfil have not only taken
countless innocent lives but also distorted the real image of Islam
before the world through their heinous acts. Terrorist acts like
suicide bombings have become a norm of the day. On account of
these attacks Pakistan is suffering from ineffaceable loss ranging
from civilian to economic. People have become numerical figures,
blown up in numbers every now and then. Terrorists have not
spared any place. Bazars, mosques, educational institutes, offices,
hotels, no place is safe anymore.
Causes Of Terrorism:

1. Internal Causes

a.) Socio-Economic Causes

Injustice is one of the foremost factors that breed

terrorism. When the grievances of the people are not redressed
they resort to violent actions. So this is the case with Pakistan
where timely justice has always been a far cry. Hence, the delayed
justice is working as incentive for victims and dragging them to
the swamp of terrorist organisations.
Illiteracy is the root causes of extremism and terrorism. More
than one in five men aged 15 to 24 unable to read or write, and
only one in 20 is in tertiary education. such a high illiteracy rate
has made Pakistan vulnerable to terrorism. furthermore, technical
and vocational education, and adult literacy, are especially
important but unfortunately have been neglected the most in
Baluchistan, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and the Tribal Areas. Illiteracy
and lack of skills provide fertile ground for those who wish to
recruit young men and women to their cause, especially when
significant monetary payments are attached.
Poverty, it is also an incubating cause of terrorism. And it is said
that “a hungry man is an angry man.” Notably, majority of people
in Pakistan are living below poverty line. While especially for the

youngsters, unemployment has made the matter worse. In these

adverse circumstances, some people go to the level of extremism
and even commit suicide. These are the people whose services
are hired by the terrorist groups and they become easy prey to
terrorism.
Food insecurity is also linked with militancy and violence. When
people remain unable to afford food and cannot meet their basic
needs civil strife grows. A report by the Islamabad-based
Sustainable Development Policy Institute The highest levels of
food insecurity, for instance, exist in the Federally Administered
Tribal Areas, according to the report, where 67.7 per cent of the
people are insecure. The next highest level is in Baluchistan, with
food insecurity at 61.2 per cent, and then in Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa,
56.2 per cent. In Pakistan some extremist forces are exploiting
the feelings of lower and lower middle class food insecure people.
They are motivating their unemployed youth to commit heinous
crimes such as suicide attacks against innocent people.
Dissatisfaction When a person is dissatisfied with the rulers and
thinks that his rights are being humiliated or exiled, his living of
life has not been compensated, he is deprived of rightful
inheritance to office, wrongly imprisoned and property
confiscated then he joins some religious parties. It does not

matter which organisation it would be. None of the organisations

has any importance for him. Adopting an organization would only
save him from the critical situation he is in and leaves him to play
in the hands of his so-called leaders who destroy his public sense
of security.

b) Political Causes:
democratic turmoil Today’s Pakistan is
facing democratic turmoil. A path chartered by the military
regime of Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan then of Zia-ul-Haq was
altered by yet another military regime that of Musharraf. All
these regimes produced political instability, poor governance,
institutional paralysis, by passing the rule of law, socio-
economic downfall and so on. These fragile conditions along
with deteriorating law and order situation have provided a
fertile ground for terrorism to grow.
Lack of proper government set-up and lack of coordination
and information sharing between various institutions of
government is also a cause of behind the escalating terrorist
activities. Not to talk of providing security to common people,
our law enforcing agencies (LEAs) have completely failed to
protect high officials of the country. In the absence of law
and proper trial the terrorists are entrenching their roots .
Failure of the Law Enforcement Agencies to bring the terrorist to
book has emboldened terror mongers to strike at a target of
their choice at will. Schools, hospitals, markets and places of
worship have become their favourite targets.
c) Religious Causes:
Religion became the dominant force during the Zia
regime when the Islamization of laws and education became a
state policy. And the Islamic legislation was promulgated and a
number of Islamic enactments were made, including the Hudood
and blasphemy laws. One may also mention the vital role of the
jihadis in their fight against the Soviet military occupation with the
American support, as well as the generous patronage extended by
the government to the religious parties and groups. It may be
added that various religious groups benefited from the support
they received from abroad, in particular from Saudi Arabia and
Iran.
Religious Madrassah is not something new for the Islam or our
country. But after Russian attack on Afghanistan it took a new
dimension. They were being used as recruitment centres for
jihadis. Thousands of Mujahedeen were trained and sent to
Afghanistan for so-called jihad. After the fall of Russia, a sizeable

number of the jihadis who returned to Pakistan got involved in

terrorist activities.
Religious intolerance is another factor which is adding fuel to the
fire of terrorism. youth, educated through religious Madrassahs,
are indoctrinated with extreme ideas. They become intolerant
towards other religions and even other sects of their own religion.
They impose their own extreme ideas and vent their fanaticism
thorough violent actions. Intolerance makes society jungle. It is
proving destructive phenomenon for social harmony, political
stability, and economic growth.
2. External Causes
. The soviet Afghanistan war was the most critical
event responsible for spreading militancy and intolerance in
Pakistan. A fundamental change that altered the very character of
Pakistani society occurred after establishment of the soviet
backed communist regime in Afghanistan. The aftermath of the
soviet withdrawal exposed the damage, transformation of
violence and Weaponisation into Pakistani society. It ultimately
plagued Pakistan with a new trend commonly referred
as “Kalashnikov Culture” and “Talbanisation”. This was perhaps
an end to our long established pluralistic culture and values.
Result was a wave of vicious cycle of Sectarian and Inter-sect and

Interfaith violence/terrorism.
Religious extremism that took its roots in Pakistan after
the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 has proved venomous for
Pakistan. The increased danger of sectarian motivated acts of
violence, have gained in power and influence over the recent past.
External as well as internal influences have impacted the
sectarian issues and have served to further intensify the
magnitude and seriousness of the problem. Sectarian violence,
therefore, was an extremely rare and unheard of phenomenon in
Pakistan with sectarian disputes being very localized and
confined rather than being frequent and widespread.
This religious extremism took a new shape of terrorism after
9/11. After the incident of 9/11 suicide bombing in Pakistan has
become a norm of the day. The American invasion and
occupation of Afghanistan, as well as the military operation in
Pakistan, along with the American drone attacks, have served to
fuel religious radicalism leading to violent reaction. The
breakdown of state structures in Afghanistan created a void
which was quickly filled by groups and individuals who took it
upon themselves to continue the lost battle. Some of them also
intruded into Pakistani tribal areas, thus inviting the US

displeasure. Flushing out these foreign fighters by Pakistani

security forces made Pakistan a battle ground, as foreign

militants and some of their local hosts, joined hands to counter
the security forces.
• Factors Boosting Terrorism:
The drone strikes have increased anti-Americanism in
Pakistan society and the region. The terrorists have used the
collateral damage to maximize the environment and society to
their benefit. Families of people killed in collateral damage
become ideal nursery for suicide bombers In Pakistan society
drone attacks are popularly believed to have caused even more
civilian casualties than is actually the case. The persistence of
these attacks on Pakistani territory is continuously creating public
outrages and alienating people from government and Army. The
drone is a tactical weapon and has certainly given good results
tactically to support coalition forces operation on their sides of
the border but strategically history has many unanswered
questions.
On account of anti-campaign and drone attacks scores of people
have become homeless and even some have lost all their
possessions Coupled with this, governments indifference towards

these internally displaced people has further deteriorating the

situation and encouraging people to join anti-state actors.

Negligence on the part of government has alienated the people
and has placed Pakistan in an undesirable situation domestically.
Furthermore, indiscriminate and brutal persecution of innocent
citizen of Kashmir and Palestine by Indian and Israeli forces

respectively is further boosting the monster of terrorism. the

people of Kashmir and Palestine have been denied their basic
rights for decades. Hence their feelings of antagonism springing
out in the form violent acts and also their supporters are
conducting these types of acts here in Pakistan in order the draw
the attention of the world towards the injustices being done to
them.
• Steps Taken By Pakistan:
Pakistan has done its level best to rid terrorism and
terrorists from its soil. In first step, many terrorist organisations
were banned by the Musharraf government. After those
successful military operations namely Rah-e-Nijat and Rah-e-
Rast have been conducted. Pakistan army has fought bravely
against terrorist and has destroyed their safe dens. It has broken
the backbone of the terrorists and has forced them to flee. These

operations still keep ongoing in some tribal areas. In this context,

it is worth-mentioning that public support to military operations is

very essential, and without people’s backing no army can win this
‘different war’ against terrorism.
Impacts Of Terrorism:
For Pakistan the consequences of being the
epicentre of the war on terror have been disastrous physically,
psychologically and economically. Nobody understands terrorism
better than us (Pakistanis). We have been victims of various
manifestations of it since the Soviet Afghan war. Since 9/11, the
wave of suicide bombing has so far killed scores of innocent
Pakistani civilians and muffled the already slow pace of our
economic growth. The financial cost of the ongoing global war on
terror in the last two years alone has been $35 billion. This has
badly affected in particular, the socio-economic development of
Pakistan. Lest we forget, we even lost our prominent political
leader Benazir Bhutto to an act of terror.
Since September 11, 2001, 21,672 Pakistani civilians have lost
their lives or have been seriously injured in an ongoing fight
against terrorism. The Pakistan Army has lost 2,795 soldiers in
the war and 8,671 have been injured. There have been 3,486

bomb blasts in the country, including 283 major suicide attacks.

More than 3.5 million have been displaced. The damage to the

Pakistani economy is estimated at $68 billion over the last ten

years. Over 200,000 Pakistani troops were deployed at the
frontline and 90,000 soldiers are fighting against militants on the
Afghan border.
The ongoing insurgency has accelerated the already dismal
economic situation and has affected almost each and every
economic aspects of the country, particularly in FATA and Khyber
Pukhtunkhwa. All the main resources of revenue in affected areas
have been hurt, including agriculture, the tourism industry,
manufacturing and small-scale industry.
Due to insurgency, the loss to agriculture alone amounts to Rs.35
billion. The breakdown in law and order situation has damaged
the fruit based economy of the northern areas. It has rendered
billions of rupes losses to the landowners, labourers, dealers and
farmers who earn their livelihood from these orchards. Also, the
Economic survey of Pakistan report shows that the share of
agriculture in the gross domestic product (GDP) has been

constantly falling. It accounted for 25.99 per cent of GDP in 1999-

2000; however, gradually its share shrank to 21.3 per cent in 2007
-2008. The figures show that terrorism has not only decreased the
productive capacity of agricultural activity in these regions but
also in the entire country.
The manufacturing sector has been hard hit by frequent
incidents of terrorism and has created an uncertain environment
resulting into low level of economic growth. The manufacturing
sector is witnessing the lowest-ever share of 18.2 per cent in the
GDP over the last five years. In addition, the small and medium-
size enterprises which are key area of manufacturing in Pakistan
have been affected across the country because of power
shortages and recurrent terrorist attacks.
According to a Harvard study (December 2000), higher levels of
terrorism risk are associated with lower levels of net FDI. In case
of Pakistan, terrorism has affected the allocation of firms
investing money in the country. As a result, FDI, which had
witnessed a steep rise over the previous several years, was
adversely affected by the terrorist acts in the country, especially in
FATA and other areas of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa.
According to the World Economic Forum, Pakistan ranked 113 out
of 130 countries in 2009 as a tourist destination. The low ranking
is attributed to incidents of terrorism and the lack of a tourism
regulatory framework in Pakistan. On account of persistent
terrorist attacks many hotels in the northwest areas have been
closed. According to government’s own estimates, the hotel
industry in Swat valley has suffered a loss of Rs. 60 billion. Many
workers have lost their jobs and transport has also face a severe
blow.
Due to war on terror, local people of war-ridden areas are
migrating to other areas of Pakistan. Country has seen the largest
migration since independence in 1947. These people have left
their homes, businesses, possessions and property back home.
This large influx of people and their rehabilitation is an economic
burden for Pakistan. Unemployment is still prevalent and now the
question of providing employment to these migrants has also
become a serious concern. This portion of population is
contributing nothing worthwhile to the national income yet they
have to be benefitted from it. This unproductive lot of people is a
growing economic problem of Pakistan

Social impacts have also been caused by this war. In a society

where terror exists cannot be healthy. Social disorganization has
occurred due to terrorism. Social relations, economic
transactions, free moments, getting education, offering prayers
etc. have suffered. Pakistan’s participation in the anti-terrorism
campaign has led to massive unemployment, homelessness,
poverty and other social problems and ills. In addition, frequent
incidents of terrorism and displacement of the local \population
have severely affected the social fabric.
On the political front Pakistan is badly impacted in fighting the
war against terrorism. It has taken many valuable steps to defeat
terrorists. In spite of all the sacrifices the country is making it is
branded to be a country insincere or half-hearted in fighting the
menace. Every time the country is told to “do more”. It is further
alleged for infiltration of the militants inside US-NATO dominated
Afghanistan. The failure of the Western troops in the
neighbourhood is blamed on Pakistan. This situation has eroded
the trust between the governments and caused international
image problem for the country.
Similarly the terror has brought in its wake psychological

problems. Fear in the hearts of the people is created. Trauma,

depressions and confusion have been increased. The people feel
insecure and unsafe whenever in their daily life activities, as time
and again they watch the terror events taking place in different
cities. Those have especially been suffered who have closely
witnessed the suicidal bombings.
The religion is also impacted by the war against terrorism. The
religion of Islam is perceived to be the one tolerating extremism
and terrorism abroad. In the western world people equate
violence, abuse against women and minority rights, and several
acts of terrorism like suicidal bombing and coercion with Islam
and Muslims. Whenever any such inhuman act takes place they
tie it with Islam and its followers. When in the UK terror acts were
committed the authority blamed it on Pakistani citizens for
instance. And why these days Pakistanis are discriminately
interrogated and have to be screened before they inter the US is
due to the fact that they are Pakistanis and Muslims.
Remedies:
Thorough analysis of the causes of terrorism and its
ineffaceable impacts indicate that in Pakistan this phenomenon
has not come to fore overnight. It has taken decades to flourish

and involves many factors. Since terrorism is a multifaceted, the

solution has to be multi-pronged. In view of the root causes
described in above paragraphs, the possible remedies could
include:
• To begin with, a national commission needs to be set up, which
identifies the fault lines and the root causes of the rise of
extremism in Pakistan taking into consideration the post-Nine-
Eleven developments.
• It should also take up the question of reforming the madrassas.
The heads of all the major religious groups should be contacted
and engaged to explore short-term and long-term solutions.
• Our universities and research institutes should take up the
intellectual task of re-interpreting the Islamic injunctions in the
light of modern knowledge and 21st century challenges (with
emphasis on social justice).
• The government must improve its performance. Bad governance
and corruption have lowered its credibility and clout,
• Parliament must debate Pakistan’s present relationship with the
US, with particular reference to the American war in Afghanistan
and operations in Pakistan.
• Our government should make efforts to develop sector. Without
any doubt, these efforts will play a crucial role not only in

providing employment to the millions of people but will also

eliminate poverty in the country.
• Pakistan’s government should particularly emphasise the need
of technical education by promoting it. In this respect, more
institutes should be opened in order to promote technical
education.
• It is mentionable that there are two types of terrorists,
extremists and moderates. In order to cope with terrorism, our
government should neutralise the moderate terrorists through
reconciliation by offering them general pardon and asking them to
renounce terrorism. Even extremist insurgents can be offered
mediation. Nevertheless, those militants who reject the offer
could be fought through military operations.
• Nonetheless, for their on global and regional interests, US-led
western allies must not only increase the military and economic
aid of Pakistan but also provide direct market access to Pak
products on zero rate duty to help stabilise the country’s bleak
economy in the wake of the war against terror.
• As Pakistan has been successfully coping with the menace of
terrorism, US-led some western countries including India should
also give up their propaganda campaign against Islamabad and
blame game against its intelligence agency ISI.

• US should help in resolving the Kashmir dispute to deal with the

problem of militancy in the region.
• In order to fight terrorism, Pakistan’s media should play a key
role. It must point out the criminal activities of the militants like
hostage-taking, killing of the innocent people? torching the
government buildings including girl schools and car-snatching. It
should also indicate that Islam is a religion of peace and does not
allow suicide attacks.
• As Pakistan is already facing various crises of grave nature in
wake of terrorism, so our politicians must stop manipulating the
same for their own self-interests. By setting aside their
differences and by showing power of tolerance, both our rulers
and opposition parties need to act upon a policy of national
reconciliation to cope with the problem of terrorism and to stand
before external pressure.
• Finally, our politicians, general masses and security forces must
show a strong sense of unity to fight terrorism,
Conclusion:
Pakistan is a peace loving nation and playing its
important role in combating terror. Recognition of efforts to fight
menace of terrorism and sacrifices rendered thereof are
testimony to the commitment and resolve to bring peace in the

region. Unfortunately sometimes its commitment is doubted by

some of its allies. Mistrust can lead to diversion of efforts, which
will not be beneficial to common objective of peace in the region.
Pakistan is a responsible nation; fully capable of defending its
territorial integrity. Pakistan has singularly committed large forces
to combat menace of terrorism more than any other country. No
foreign troops are either present or deployed on Pakistan soil.
All citizens of Pakistan must propagate moderate vibrant culture
of Pakistan to promote good will of world community and shun
misconstrued beliefs. Attacks on security forces personnel are
executed at the sponsorship of hostile intelligence agencies. Such
anti state elements must be singled out and brought to lime light
to defeat evil agendas of our enemies. Pakistan has sacrificed the
most in the ongoing war on terror; criticizing Pakistan’s efforts at
national/international forum will be counter-productive to the
overall objectives of war on terror.