Post 9/11, the Afghan Pashtuns on both sides of border faced similar situations. According to an estimate, around 15,000 noteworthy people were targeted and killed in Waziristan (North and South) alone. The local community believe that these people were killed by Pakistani agencies through their proxies - the TTP or the Good Taliban, because they were trying to obstruct a lucrative war sponsored by state agencies.
Taking into account the declining US interest in Afghanistan, Pakistan launched its first major Operation Rah e Nejat in Waziristan, the Mehsud area of South Waziristan, where most of the TTP's leadership and fighters come from. After first operation, the operation Zarb e Azb was launched. It was claimed that under the name of both operations against terrorism, dollars were taken from the US Coalition Support Fund and other organisations.
However, on the other hand, Pakistan continued to support the Taliban that US was fighting against in Afghanistan. After Operation Rah e Nejat, the TTP split into different groups, which were already a few in numbers, were mostly remained busy hiding themselves.
This war is seen in two perspectives; one is what we see in the Pakistani and international media according to the Pakistani narrative and the other is what the local people understand and claim that they themselves witnessed, but do not disclose much out of fear. The Pakistani state narrative is that, they sided with the Americans and are suffering the wrong consequences, and the world is accepting the same narrative, while the local people looking at it from a completely different point of view which is based on personal observations, we say that there are two types of groups.
On one side there is the TTP being run by the ISI and on the other hand, there is the Good Taliban or recognised groups that are labelled as 'peace committees' and are derived by army and military intelligence. Both groups not only target each other but to local as well, especially they extract money from rich people through threats. As a citizen of Pakhtunkhwa, I verify the claims of the local people because I have also seen and suffered.
Now coming to the part of how this wave of terrorism came here and Taliban got empowered when they were actually destitute. The TTP fighters were living in extreme poverty in Afghanistan, but suddenly, different factions of TTP started to unite. The biggest difference between the Fazlullah group of Swat and the Baitullah Mehsud caravan was ideological. For example the commanders of the Baitullah Mehsud group considered the people of the Fazlullah group as apostates and infidels, but despite this major difference, how did these people unite?
The answer to this question is not difficult if we closely look at the Pakistani system and keep in mind the beneficiaries of this system. The first thing is that the Pakistani army, who has complete control over Pakistan, will not let their control decrease at any cost no matter what happens to the people. The second thing is that this war gave the Pakistani army the benefit that they would have never imagined, whether it is for defense benefit or personal gain of the generals. I often say that even junior military officers on duty in our area have earned enough to last them for many generations.
Immediately after the departure of General Raheel Sharif, the Bajwa Doctrine begins, in which many things are falsified. General Faiz Hameed also emerges as an important player in this period and from here the TTP suddenly gained strength. Despite All their differences, especially religious differences, are left behind and the TTP emerged and developed more systematically under the leadership of Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud. In other words, if anyone can be credited for the re-emergence and strength of TTP, then it is Faiz Hameed. But you cannot call it the doing of only one person. The whole system and institution are involved, people who run it are accomplices of truth and falsehood.
At this time, the situation has been smoothed for a new military operation and soon a military operation will be started under a new name, but the question is whether there has been any secret deal with America or any other country regarding this? At present, we can only talk about this by connecting the dots, but in the coming days, things will be clearer. This new adventure will also be used to harm the nationalist workers and leadership of both the Pak-Afghan sides, e.g. Threats have been issued for Babak only yesterday. More details will be revealed in the coming days, but the bottom line is that Pakistan's economy will be driven by the business of this war again, while the Pashtuns will continue to bear the brunt.