Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Counter-Terrorism Strategies In FATA And Swat From 2008-2013

Abstract

This paper focuses on the counter-terrorism policies of the Pakistan People Party (PPP), which came into power in 2008 through general election, after the death of its supreme leader, Benazir Bhutto on 27^th November 2007 at Liaqat Bagh, Rawalpindi during a political rally. Following the democratic political leader’s assassination, public openly criticized the failure of President Pervez Musharraf’s counter-terror approaches. In 2008, Pakistan was already middle of war against Taliban and Al-Qaeda. President Musharraf mixed policies of operations and peace negotiation failed terribly in countering the threat of terrorism in FATA and Khyber Pashtunkhawa (KPK). The Taliban were marching on Islamabad, already occupied Swat and Dir Vally of KPK. The suicide bombers were approaching VVIP places like Marriot Hotel Islamabad and Military General Headquarter (GHQ) Rawalpindi. The government did not have any clear plan in countering the threat. Pakistan’s people Party won the election in February 2008 and established coalition government with Awami National Party (ANP). These two parties were clear on the subject of militancy and terrorism in the country and relationship with the United States.  Pakistan is a security centric state.

It is neither located in Western Europe nor in East Asia to have people-centric and economy centric foreign and domestic policies. South Asia is a difficult political terrain, which does not allow states to focus on other issues at the expense of security, therefore, it is always been the top priority of all South Asian states, especially of Pakistan due to its profoundly dangerous relationship with India.

This paper has illustrated that all major operations in Pakistan against the TTP were initiated at the time of Pakistan’s People Party in KPK and FATA, which shifted the momentum on ground against the Taliban and defeated their narratives by successfully projected them as enemy of the state. For the first, Pakistan’s army shifted its forces from eastern border with India to FATA and Swat to defeat the threat of the Taliban. This is considered one of the golden period in the war against terrorism and extremism in Pakistan.