The TTP: Fueling Fear and Instability
The TTP: Fueling Fear and Instability
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is one of the most violent and devastating terrorist groups functioning in the shade of modern terrorism since their methods are inhumane and brutal, that is use of fear and coercion. This is not an ordinary terrorist group, but a planned mechanism of terrorism that attacks directly at the core of society. They aim to destroy social structure, create a state of panic and terror, and devastate it with the help of violence and dominance. The well-planned machinations of the TTP are not unusual, violent actions, but a well-plotted attack on the innocent, made to create an atmosphere of fear to soften the people towards the state. Their brutality, inhumanity, and indiscriminate violence instill fear among the masses.
Fear is the TTP operational strategy. Many know that terrorism lives in fear- a feeling that incapacitates, paralyzes, and leaves societies helpless and easy to manipulate. The TTP has perfected this killing trade, and they use any occasion to cause panic. Sniper attacks, abduction, bombings, and assassination are not only fatal gestures to kill the citizens; it is to scare them. Attacking not only individual people, but also the people of high standing, such as teachers, doctors, polio workers, and even children, the TTP very loudly conveys its message: no one is safe. The psychological wounds, which are way beyond the destruction, are inflicted on society by their attacks in terms of a broken social contract.
Coercion is what makes the devious schemes of the TTP more personalized and insidious. With fear, the atmosphere of submission is provided, whereas coercion is the method through which the TTP guarantees the submission. The group not only engages in violent acts against the masses, but they also manipulate people psychologically to bend their will. A threat to one of his or her family, friends, or people who could be considered to be loved ones is sufficient to make one comply. There is a threat of gruesome punishment for standing against the group or being disobedient, which forces people into submission. It is a control mechanism that thrives on intimidation, and in many cases, fear of being harmed is more effective than the real harm.
Ideological compulsion has also been set up by the TTP through the bending of religion to its sadistic agenda. The group exploits the weak minds of the people, mostly those with personal problems, into becoming their part by pervading them with a false sense of purpose. They engage in bloodshed and violence in the name of salvation and honor. After being recruited, the coercion becomes further intense. Not only do the members get coerced into violent acts, but they also get brainwashed to think that their violence is justified and ordained by God.
The dangerous part about the TTP is that it is a combination of fear and coercion, which forms a vicious cycle of manipulation that cannot be broken easily. The coercion is facilitated by fear, which makes the population more vulnerable to manipulation, and the manipulation intensifies the fear further. The situation created by the TTP seems desperate: the locals can either conform or face something incomprehensible. It is not only the physical destruction of them, but the destruction of the basic community.
This paradigm of intimidation and terror is not limited to Pakistan alone, but it is also spread to the region and later on to the rest of the world. TTP actions are not only in their local interests, but also in the interests of foreign players that gain profit out of the destruction of Pakistan. Being a transnational threat, TTP also enjoys logistic and other resources brought by external forces who have a vested interest in cripple, dividing and distracting Pakistan. These external sponsors can be swept into the shadows, and they utilize such organizations as the TTP as a pawn in a bigger geopolitical match. The effect of the ruling of the TTP reign of terror is not localized in the immediate destruction wreaked by their offensives. Their activities lead to an irreparable instability in the long term, which devalues social cohesion, makes people shy of the government, and develops cracks within the society.
The international community should understand now that the TTP is not a purely local problem; rather, it is a wider and subtler game plan, and the effects extend far beyond. As a problem, it will require more than military action; it will require a holistic approach to the problem, and that is to deal not just with the physical violence it wreaks but also with the psychological warfare waged by such groups. Governments should not only counter terrorists but also restore trust among their citizens, where an alternative discourse to that of the terrorist network, like the TTP, is provided.
