Resurrection of Tehrik‐e‐Taliban Pakistan Amidst Afghan Regime's Indifference: Threats to Intersectional Security Strands in the Region

Abstract

As the Afghan Taliban came to power in August 2021, the terrorist attacks by the Afghanistan‐based Tehrik‐e‐Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operatives intensified in Pakistan. Despite Pakistan's repeated requests, the Taliban's regime looked the other way and facilitated a renewed spate of TTP‐led terrorism in Pakistan, specifically its regions dividing the two countries. This article scrutinizes the multifaceted threats of TTP's brutal resurgence to intersectional security strands in the strategically important region and their impact on the complex relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Drawing on the analysis of historical context and contemporary terrorist growth in Pakistan's territories, the study elucidates the evolving dynamics in the frontier regions and settled areas and bilateral relations in the wake of TTP's resurrection in the period of 2021-2024. The investigation employs a mixed method combining a qualitative approach for the analysis of historical ties, bilateral diplomatic discourse, and measuring intensification of terrorist incidents in Pakistan since 2021 with quantitative data. The study leads to a rational perception of the complicated interplay between states and non‐state actors, regional geopolitics, and Pakistan-Afghanistan relations in the era of heightened uncertainty on Afghan soil with a potential to project regional terrorism. Furthermore, intersectionality as a framework of analysis helps in gauging the impact of socio‐political, cultural, and economic elements with regard to targeted communities while evaluating the extent of injustices on account of race, gender, class, and ideology (religious belief).