“Lately, a question has been haunting public debates: why is there a rise in terrorist attacks this year? The answer is glaringly obvious: to increase chaos and disrupt economic stability and general elections in the country.”

On 30 July 2023, a suicide blast killed 46 civilians and 215 injured during the Worker’s Convention of a political party (JUI-F) at Khar (Bajaur), KPK. More than 500 supporters were gathered near a market for the rally, which was being held ahead of elections expected later this year. JUI-F Member National Assembly (MNA) Maulana Jamaluddin and Senator Abdul Rasheed were also present during the convention.

One of the biggest attacks against the people of KPK so far took place this year. At about 1600 hours when Maulana Laeeq was addressing the convention, a suicide bomber present near the stage detonated his suicide vest. One of the deceased includes JUI-F’s Tehsil Khar Amir Maulana Ziaullah. This has been the 16^th terrorist incident in Pakistan in 2023.

The timing of the Bajaur blast is important as Sunday’s bombing came hours before the arrival of Chinese vice-premier He Lifeng in Islamabad, where he was to participate in an event to mark a decade of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, a sprawling package under which Beijing has invested billions of dollars in Pakistan.

Initial investigations suggested the Islamic State group (IS) – which operates in Afghanistan and is an enemy of the Afghan Taliban – could be behind the attack. The local chapter of IS has recently carried out attacks against JUI-F.

Last year, IS said it was behind violent attacks against religious scholars affiliated with the party, which has a huge network of mosques and madrassas in the north and west of the country. The jihadist group accuses JUI-F of hypocrisy for being an Islamic group while supporting hostile governments and the military.

The Taliban government in Afghanistan condemned Sunday’s blast in a statement by their spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, while the TTP said in a statement that the bombing was aimed at setting Islamists against each other. Pakistan’s military says militants are operating from safe havens in Afghanistan and it has threatened to mount an “effective response” in the wake of the recent attacks.

Sunday’s bombing was one of the worst attacks in the north-west since 2014, when 147 people, mostly schoolchildren, were killed in a Taliban attack on an army-run school in Peshawar. In March 2022, a suicide bomber struck inside another mosque in Peshawar during Friday prayers, killing at least 56 worshippers, in an attack claimed by Islamic State.

A surge in Terrorism is a trend common in the history of Pakistan. Anti-State actors exert all efforts to harm the national security and economic stability of the country. The tenure of the current Government of Pakistan is completed by 12^th Aug 2023, and the caretaker setup would be more vulnerable to such terrorist attacks during the Election campaign.

“The international respect of a country goes down when it fails to maintain a sustainable economy, has unmanageable politics, and its democratic credentials are questioned. The national security and economic security of Pakistan are dependent on political stability which is why general elections must take place on time.”

There are a handful of reasons why terrorist activities take place in the country. Anti-State Actors are exploiting the political instability to achieve their motive of delaying the general elections and spreading chaos in the country. A caretaker government is not competent enough to solve the issues of national security which will exacerbate the number of incidents and loss of lives.

The Government of Pakistan will be holding a “first-ever” mineral summit in the country on the 1^st of August, an event that will be attended by top foreign delegates. The council for this summit has reportedly approved nearly two dozen projects worth billions of dollars which include the mining operations at Reko Diq in Balochistan’s Chagai district and the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam.

Furthermore, this is a move to boost domestic as well as foreign investments as the South Asian country consists of vast reserves of several metallic and non-metallic reserves. Along with oil and gas exploration, the marble and gemstone industry has lately been flourishing in Pakistan. Pakistan’s lucrative geostrategic location provides huge opportunities for related industries in the global market.

Just a few days ago, Pakistan made a cutting-edge move with Saudi Arabia in which five Pakistani state-owned companies will collaborate with Saudi Arabia to execute a refinery project worth $10 billion in Pakistan. In January of this year, Pakistan secured a redemptive deal worth $4 billion from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well.

It is the agenda of the Non-State Actors to halt any economic progress made by such foreign investments, projects, and CPEC and ensure the country remains destitute. Delaying the general elections is just another element added to the list to hinder Pakistan’s progress. There is a dire need for security on Pakistan’s Western border.

“In the absence of political stability, Pakistan will be a perfect and vulnerable breeding ground for chaos, economic devastation, and many more casualties.”

There has always been sufficient security on the eastern border with the atomic bomb and Kashmir being the voice of defense. Yet the security situation on the Afghan border keeps deteriorating as the relationship between Pakistan and the Taliban has soured, and TTP and other hostile groups have intensified their activities in Balochistan and KPK.

The international respect of a country goes down when it fails to maintain a sustainable economy, has unmanageable politics, and its democratic credentials are questioned. The national security and economic sustenance of Pakistan are dependent on political stability which is why general elections must take place on time. A caretaker government cannot solve ad-hoc issues threatening the nation.

If the elections are delayed, then all the grievances and reservations held by the public will be validated. In the absence of political stability, Pakistan will be a perfect and vulnerable breeding ground for chaos, economic devastation, and many more casualties. Only a stable government can tackle the rising challenges of the country and protect the country from increasing threats.

*This Blog post is written by Saaremeen Fatima Sayyami. She is an Intern at Accountability Lab Pakistan.