No to the military operation in Bajaur

Shezhad Arshad

On July 29, the Pakistan army started a new military operation in Bajaur, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Since then, around 100,000 people of the district have been displaced. After a short halt of the operation due to the massive floods in the region, it has been reinvigorated in recent days.

The military campaign has been launched after a failed peace jirga, a meeting between local tribal elders and the Taliban. According to official sources, the jirga had demanded that the Taliban leave the area, a request they rejected, leading to the military operation. While the operation is ongoing, the situation in other tribal areas is also dire, with a rise in forced disappearances and killings.

The government claims there are only a few hundred Taliban in Bajaur, with more than 80% of them being from Afghanistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has praised the operations as a success, stating that the growing threat is an „external intervention“ by mostly Afghan citizens.

The reality, however, is very different. Despite countless military operations in Pashtun regions over the past two decades, the Taliban have not been eliminated. On the contrary, these operations have displaced millions and resulted in thousands of Pashtun casualties. Each time, despite announcements of peace and the elimination of the Taliban, their numbers and strength have only increased. This is itself a direct consequence of the state’s policies.

Public anger against the operation is intense, leading to multiple protests. The recent operation alone has already driven about 100,000 people from their homes once again. Innocent children, women and old men have been the initial victims. When Pashtuns protest against this violence, they are labelled as „terrorist facilitators”.

Economic resources

This branding does not only reflect the oppression of the entire Pashtun people, it also has to be seen in the context of important economic interests in the resources of the region.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially its merged tribal districts, holds billions of dollars in mineral wealth, including lithium and other critical minerals essential for modern technology. The Trump administration has already shown interest in these resources. New laws, like the draft of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mines and Minerals Act 2025, and talks of separating the tribal areas from the province are afoot. This is all an effort to pave the way for international capital, prioritising corporate profits over the interests of the local population. It is a capitalist approach that dismantles community ownership in favour of corporate control, with the state selling this exploitation as „development“. This background makes clear that, at the end of the day, “fighting the Taliban” and “terrorism” are pretexts for the state’s search for complete control of the region, where the interests of capital can proceed without any obstacles.

The left nationalist Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and other political parties are opposing the military operation. Large public protests have been organised against it. Yet, the military is moving forward, intending to crush all forms of resistance in the tribal areas. Those who oppose the operation are being branded as „enemies of the country“ and „agents of India“. The PTM, in particular, is a target of these accusations, with its key leaders either in jail or forced into hiding. This is meant to silence any discussion of forced disappearances, massacres and checkpoints, forcing Pashtuns to accept this reality without resistance.

Revolutionary socialists oppose this operation because its objective is to suppress the Pashtun mass resistance and their movements like the PTM in the interest of both national and global capital. The Pashtun people simply want to live in peace and freedom. Stopping this operation is the only way to prevent further war and displacement. The Left, the working class and all progressive and democratic forces should oppose the government’s operation, its mineral policies and its attacks on democratic rights. While the stated goal is to stop the Taliban, the real purpose is to consolidate state control over Pashtun areas. This will only lead to thousands more deaths, increased displacement, and heightened racism.

We do not deny the Taliban threat, but their presence in the tribal areas is a direct result of government policies that endanger the lives of ordinary Pashtuns. Past operations have proven they are not the solution; they only make the problems worse.

We support the organisation of workers, farmers and women for their self-defence to fight against Taliban attacks. The Pakistani Left, trade unions and all progressive and democratic forces must support the public struggle and oppose the operation. The state’s operation will only spread the Taliban and bring ruin to the Pashtun people. It is the Pashtun people themselves who can really fight the Taliban, as demonstrated by the PTM’s movement and their struggle for peace. The fight against the Taliban is part of a much larger struggle against imperialism, war, and capitalist exploitation, and it can only be won within that wider struggle.

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