In recent days, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has claimed responsibility for several terrorist attacks in South Waziristan (Pakistan), targeting polio workers and tribal elders. These incidents, occurring within a short span of time, highlight the persistent threat posed by these terrorist factions in Pakistan. However, these acts of violence underscore a deeper issue: the close relationship between ISKP and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Despite appearing to be distinct organizations, both share a common ideological foundation and serve similar destructive purposes.
For the past two decades, Pakistan has been grappling with the menace of Khawariji terrorists, a term used to describe groups like TTP and ISKP that engage in extremist activities under the guise of Islamic righteousness. These groups justify their acts of violence through a distorted interpretation of Islamic teachings, which has been consistently condemned by Islamic scholars. Religious leaders in Pakistan have declared these organizations’ activities as un-Islamic and “haram” (forbidden), noting that their actions are driven by a desire for power and destruction, rather than any genuine religious or moral cause.
The Khawariji ideology espoused by both TTP and ISKP is characterized by its brutal, un-Islamic nature. They manipulate and misinterpret religious texts to justify their atrocities against innocent civilians, often targeting vulnerable groups such as polio workers, religious leaders, and even fellow Muslims. Despite operating under different names and banners, the core belief systems of TTP and ISKP are remarkably similar. Both engage in barbaric practices, using terror as a means to pursue their goals, which include destabilizing Pakistan and its people.
One clear example of the connection between these two groups is the overlap in their human resources and leadership. The first leader of ISKP, Hafiz Saeed, was a former commander of the TTP, hailing from the Orakzai agency in Pakistan. This shared leadership underscores the idea that ISKP and TTP are not distinct organizations but rather different faces of the same Khawariji ideology. Furthermore, their terrorist tactics and targets are often similar, with both groups targeting security forces, religious gatherings, and civilian populations, affirming that they operate with a shared mission.
Both TTP and ISKP are also widely regarded as foreign proxies, working in service of external enemies of Pakistan. These groups are funded and supported by outside actors who have an interest in destabilizing the region. Their acts of violence serve the interests of their foreign masters, making them tools in a larger geopolitical game aimed at undermining Pakistan’s sovereignty. By creating chaos and terror, TTP and ISKP advance the agenda of those who seek to weaken Pakistan from within.
While ISKP is known for its hostility towards the Afghan Taliban—physically fighting them and condemning them in propaganda campaigns—its stance towards the TTP is noticeably softer. There has never been a reported clash between TTP and ISKP, despite their presence in the same regions of Afghanistan. This strange lack of conflict between two seemingly opposed factions further strengthens the perception that the two groups are collaborating on some level. It suggests that ISKP may be serving as a cover for TTP’s operations, allowing TTP to use ISKP as a tool for deflection.
The Khawariji TTP is known to perpetrate attacks on civilian targets, often using ISKP as a front to shield itself from public backlash. ISKP, on the other hand, is infamous for launching suicide bombers on religious gatherings, mosques, and scholars. This division of labor, where ISKP handles particularly heinous attacks on civilians while TTP claims responsibility only for assaults on security forces, is a strategy to manage public opinion and deflect blame from TTP’s operations. The calculated nature of these attacks reveals the strategic collaboration between the two groups.
Another sinister aspect of TTP and ISKP’s operations is their method of radicalizing youth. Both organizations prey on vulnerable teenagers, coercing them into carrying out suicide attacks. While they exploit young minds for these barbaric purposes, it is worth noting that no high-ranking terrorist leader has ever sacrificed himself in such a manner. This highlights the hypocrisy of their leadership, who manipulate others to die for a cause they themselves do not genuinely believe in.
The presence of Khawariji TTP and ISKP in Afghanistan is not a secret, as it has been well-documented by various international security organizations and media outlets, including reports by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and Western think tanks. These reports affirm that both TTP and ISKP enjoy safe havens in Afghanistan, where they plot and launch attacks on Pakistan without facing significant opposition from the Afghan government. This reality further reinforces the idea that the two groups are working in tandem, using Afghanistan as a base of operations to destabilize Pakistan.
Pakistani religious scholars have long condemned the actions of these terrorist groups, collectively issuing a ‘fatwa’ (religious decree) through the Paigham-e-Pakistan initiative. This decree explicitly declares the activities of TTP and ISKP as haram, stating that their so-called armed struggle is not only un-Islamic but also a direct affront to the teachings of Islam. The *fatwa* emphasizes that killing innocent civilians, targeting religious figures, and promoting violence under the guise of religion is forbidden in Islam.
Lastly, TTP and ISKP may operate under different banners and claim different allegiances, but they are ultimately two sides of the same coin. Both groups share a common Khawariji ideology that distorts Islamic teachings to justify their inhuman and immoral acts. Their collaboration in terrorism, manipulation of youth, and use as foreign proxies to destabilize Pakistan all point to a coordinated effort that threatens the peace and security of the region. The fight against these Khawariji terrorists will continue, as Pakistan remains resolute in its determination to rid the country of this menace, with the support of religious scholars who have unequivocally declared these groups as enemies of Islam and humanity.
