The recent attacks by the Pakistani army in North and South Waziristan, which have reportedly resulted in the martyrdom of dozens of civilians, may create a complicated situation. Considering the targeting of civilians in tribal areas, these attacks could serve as a strong recruitment tool for armed groups and further increase the level of insecurity.
These attacks demonstrate the Pakistani army’s dominance over politicians, as it seems that such bloody military operations are carried out without the consultation of political officials and some elder figures of the government. The diminishing public trust in the tribal areas, which already has complaints against the army, may deepen further.
These attacks send a message to the people of the tribal areas that the government is not committed to their security, but rather is waging war against them, which can harm the people’s economic, educational and social lives.
Analysts believe that such operations against civilians severely damage the people’s trust, resulting in a greater distance between Pakistani authorities and the tribal population; they believe that Pakistan’s current political situation is already tense.
If insecurity increases in the tribal areas, it will pose another major challenge to the government; if Pakistani officials truly believe that their attacks were only on militants, then they must clarify their investigations to the people, neighboring countries and the international community.
Therefore, this claim should be seriously investigated to determine where the truth lies. However, if civilians have been harmed despite this, then Pakistani officials must be held accountable.
The Pakistani military’s operations are not only unbeneficial for short-term security gains but also have long-term adverse consequences. Such actions provide propaganda material for armed groups and opponents, increase distrust between the people and the government and negatively impact Pakistan’s internal and regional stability.
Some analysts consider these military operations a failure of their security strategy, arguing that such actions reveal the weakness of the Pakistani regime’s intelligence capabilities.
According to these analysts, the continuous military operations of the Pakistani army indicate that the government lacks non-military solutions to conflicts and has failed to gain public support.
The Pakistani army’s actions reveal that the civilian government and political parties are under military control, resulting in political and civilian individuals and officials not being able to make decisions on security policies freely. Furthermore, if the people of the tribal areas feel outside the state’s framework, it represents a significant political failure for the government; the continuation of violence instead of a political solution shows that the government is not ready to listen to the people’s demands.
In the past, Pakistani soldiers have occasionally targeted civilians during operations in tribal areas. One such instance was in 2004 in the Kalusha area of South Waziristan, where the Pakistani army conducted extensive military operations for the first time, resulting in the martyrdom of hundreds of tribal people and their displacement from their homes.
Similarly, in 2009, the Pakistani army announced extensive operations against Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, leading to the displacement of thousands of civilians, but the outcome remained unclear.
In 2014, the army also launched operations in the Mir Ali and Miranshah areas of North Waziristan, which they claimed were the most extensive operations against militant groups. As a result of these operations, more than 1.5 million tribespeople were forced to leave their homes.
In 2017 and 2023, the army repeatedly announced operations in tribal areas, resulting in significant financial and material losses for many civilians.
If the Pakistani army continues such operations in areas like South and North Waziristan, it will not only create security issues but also political and economic crises, forcing the people of tribal areas to sever all ties and connections with the Pakistani regime. Instead of ensuring security, such actions may provoke even more regional conflicts.
