The report says that in the 21 months since August 15, 2021, the number of victims of terror has also increased significantly - by 138%.
The launch of the PIPS report entitled “Pakistan's Afghan Perspectives and Political Opportunities” took place on 1 June in Islamabad. The report includes expert assessments and recommendations from researchers for the period since July 2021.
According to the authors, the strongest growth was experienced by the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), at 92%, and Balochistan, at 81%. On the contrary, the number of terrorist attacks in the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, as well as in the capital region of Islamabad, decreased after the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan.
Experts noted that the main sources of threats in KP are the actions of the Pakistani wing of the Taliban, while in Balochistan there are local separatists, and in Sindh province there are ethno-national violent crimes that take place frequently. Experts also noted a general increase in religious extremism and radicalism.
The experts present at the dissemination event also expressed their views on how these problems need to be addressed.
In particular, Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, a professor of political science and international relations from the Qaid-e-Azam Institute (Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan) in Islamabad, stressed that the 50-year-old policy towards Afghanistan needs to be revised.
Defense strategist, retired Major General Inam-ul-Haq said that the activities of the Taliban Movement of Pakistan, as well as the construction of fences on the border with Afghanistan, are the two main stumbling blocks in relations between the countries.
“If Pakistan manages to deal with these issues properly, it could improve relations with Afghanistan,” the former military person stressed.
At the same time, the director of PIPS in his welcoming address to the conference participants said that Pakistan should expand the scope of political opportunities in relations with Afghanistan, and achieve “inclusiveness” on the part of all parties stakeholders interested in Afghanistan issues.
