Free Preview of Members-Only Content
To view the requested intelligence, you must be a Stratfor.com member.
On Aug. 25, a day after the Pakistan government rejected a cease-fire offer from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to end the fighting in Bajaur agency, part of Pakistan’s tribal belt, an adviser to the prime minister of interior affairs announced that Islamabad was banning the TTP. The government also is banning three other smaller outfits — Lashkar-e-Islam, Ansar-ul-Islam and Amar Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Aneelmunkar — operating in Khyber agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
It is important to note that the ban is aimed at those Taliban groups that the state has lost control over and that have ties to foreign fighters. The ban does not apply to all groups that come under the generic “Taliban” label. A key reason for this is the state’s interest in sustaining its influence in Afghanistan via the “good” Taliban. In reality, however, the Taliban universe is very fluid and it is difficult for anyone to distinguish between the various types of Taliban.
The ban is no more than a formality, and it will have little effect on the ability of the sanctioned groups to operate. They are based in areas where the government is struggling to impose its writ. But the move is the first sign that the Pakistani state, which previously has pursued the path of negotiated settlement with the militants, is trying to go on the offensive.
| Stratfor Members, please log in at the top left hand corner |
