ABSTRACT
Terrorist attacks in Pakistan continued to decline in 2018 due to counter-terrorism operations led by the security forces and police. Pakistani security forces have been engaged in a counter-insurgency struggle with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan in Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2009, but with limited success due to the absence of a coherent counter-terrorism strategy. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan is an umbrella organisation of various militant groups formed in 2007 by the mujahideen who fought with the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan. Ethnic Pashtun, Baloch and Sindhi grievances drive part of the armed conflict in Pakistan. Pakistan blames India for fuelling the grievances of Baloch groups in Balochistan, especially those demanding independence from Pakistan, such as the Balochistan Liberation Army. Pakistan’s conflict dynamics remained diverse and continued to have an impact on its relations with the United States, China and Afghanistan.
