The attack by unknown, but believed to be Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TT) militants on Sheikh Muhammadi grid station on the outskirts of Peshawar recently, which killed seven police and WAPDA officials and caused damage of around a whopping one billion rupees, demonstrates the scale of the threat from the insurgents and raises a big question mark on the taking place of polls in the area and the entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The grid station is located at the junction of the KP border with FATA.

The attack, according to sources, was launched by hundreds of militants armed with sophisticated weapons. All believed that the TTP would soon take responsibility of the attack, but surprisingly the group denied its involvement. However, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the attack was launched by the TTP and refusal to accept responsibility by the group was to evade criticism. Indeed, if the TTP was not behind the Sheikh Muhammadi attack, then it is of great concern, that which militant outfit perpetrated the attack?

The TTP may not want to accept the responsibility because it would put an end to the calls for talks by the political parties, Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and the Awami National Party (ANP) with the group. Whereas, the insurgent group definitely wants to have talks with the government, but it wants to have them on its own terms. Due to which there has not been any headway in this regard. The JUI-F, the PML-N and the ANP, according to these parties' insiders do not at all want any talks with the insurgents but want to use the offer of talks as a carrot to blunt the attacks of the TTP during the election season. These parties also want to evade the attacks of the TTP on their leaders and workers during the election campaign and to divert the insurgents' attention towards their opponents. Interestingly, the JUI-F and the PML-N have entered into an electoral alliance and have assumed a pro-Taliban stance, while the ANP has called for talks but vowed to continue fighting the TTP.

It is typical of terrorist groups to simultaneously continue attacks, some of them very bold when they offer peace talks. The TTP surprisingly extended an olive branch to the government in December 2012, and renewed it in February this year, to which a large number of political parties also responded positively. However, the military high command termed it a ploy of the insurgent group to buy time and reinforce its ranks. As far as the military's stance is concerned, it is a rational stance, because the history of the TTP demonstrates that it has violated every peace deal it inked with the governmental authorities. The peace deal with Maulana Fazlullah and Sufi Muhammad in Swat by the ANP government in March 2009, is a case in point. So it is quite debatable, whether the TTP is really earnest about talks with the government. Some time back, the TTP spokesman also issued a couple of statements which for the first time contained the words "our political shura".

It means that either the group has started considering itself as a political group or again wants to hoodwink the government and the political parties. Against this backdrop, the TTP would not like to take responsibility for the attack on Sheikh Muhammadi grid station. Thus there may be attacks in the coming weeks too, which may not be owned by the group. At the same time, from the TTP or any insurgent group's point of view, it is also very important to continue staging large-scale attacks. These serve many purposes for them. The foremost is to maintain the aura of fear and terror. Without a terror-filled atmosphere a terrorist group cannot remain relevant because in normal time the government and society do not take the terrorist groups and their demands seriously.

Secondly, the large-scale attacks by insurgent and terrorist groups send a very strong message across that they have huge destructive power and the government has somehow to negotiate with it through dialogue. At the same time the aim is to drive the people to pressurize the government to enter into talks with the insurgents.

Thirdly, the large-scale attacks keep the internal cohesion of the group intact, especially at times when the group is not able to achieve its ultimate purpose and consequently there is large-scale disenchantment within its rank and file.

The timing of the Sheikh Muhammadi grid station attack is also very important. It has come at a time when the country has entered the election season. At this time such attacks attract more national and international attention because everyone starts questioning the suitability of the environment for elections. Obviously, if such attacks continue unabated, fair and free elections are not possible. As far as the TTP, its affiliates like al-Qaeda and other non-TTP Pakistani Taliban groups are concerned, they are vehemently against the process of elections as they have time and again stated that they do not believe in the country's Westminster type democracy and political system. Even many of these groups have termed the existing Pakistani political system as an 'infidel' system and the country's constitution as un-Islamic.

Here it may be mentioned that while making offer of talks, the TTP last December set the condition of re-writing the country's constitution according to its whims. All these statements and actions of the insurgent group make its political credentials highly questionable. If the TTP has really started considering to transform itself into a political organization then it ought to behave politically. It has to enter the political arena instead of obliterating the political sphere altogether. As far as the state and society's response to the TTP, its attacks, peace talk offers and statements is concerned, there is large-scale confusion everywhere.

This writer happened to visit one of the victims of the Sheikh Muhammadi attack. The father of a victim, who also is a religious person, claimed that foreign agencies are responsible for the attacks. This confusion is understandable because most of the officials and people cannot make out what the terrorist group really wants and what is its real agenda.

Nevertheless, the state and society has to understand the situation in order to have an effective response. Otherwise the insurgents would continue to wreak havoc.


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