Pakistan&rsquo;s decades-old strategy of using terror as a tool has backfired dangerously, with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) emerging as its biggest internal threat. On Independence Day, the group unleashed a wave of coordinated attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing police personnel and leaving several others injured.
The TTP claimed responsibility for eight strikes across Upper and Lower Dir, Bannu, Shangla, and Hassan Khel, a chilling reminder that Pakistan&rsquo;s security establishment is steadily losing ground to the very outfit its own Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) once helped create.
Once nurtured to divide the Afghan Taliban, the TTP has turned into a lethal adversary. Backed by the Taliban in Kabul and equipped with NATO-grade weapons abandoned after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the outfit has re-emerged stronger since 2021. Its use of drones in the Independence Day attacks marked a new escalation in tactics.
Global terror data underlines its menace. The Global Terrorism Index 2025 lists the TTP among the deadliest terror groups worldwide, alongside ISIS, Al-Shabab, and Al-Qaeda affiliates. In Pakistan, it is responsible for nearly 90 percent of terror attacks, with over 550 deaths attributed to it in 2024 alone.
The revival of the TTP was cemented after it reunited splinter groups and expanded its reach in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a border region that provides easy passage from Afghanistan. Intelligence reports suggest the group now has around 6,500 fighters, with ambitions to evolve into an umbrella organisation for regional jihadist movements. Talks of a merger with Al-Qaeda in the Subcontinent (AQIS) have already raised alarms.
For Pakistan, the consequences are severe. The same proxy that was once a strategic asset has now become a nightmare, targeting security forces and even Chinese projects in the country. With Afghan Taliban patronage, sophisticated ammunition, and cross-border mobility, the TTP has exposed Islamabad&rsquo;s crumbling counter-terror doctrine.

TTP Strikes Expose Pakistan’s Weak Grip

Independence Day attacks highlight TTP’s growing strength and Pakistan’s failing strategy

TTP Strikes Expose Pakistan’s Weak Grip

Independence Day attacks highlight TTP’s growing strength and Pakistan’s failing strategy

August 17, 2025 | 17:28 IST