A captured terrorist, Ehsanullah s/o one Abdul Janan, has revealed shocking details of how Fitna al-Khawarij – a term used by the state for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – tricks young people into anti-state activities in Pakistan.
A video released by security agencies showed Ehsanullah revealing to investigators how militants use religious rhetoric to radicalise youths and manipulate them into carrying out terrorist activities against Pakistan’s armed forces.
Revealing he worked as a facilitator to several key TTP commanders for three years, Ehsanullah confessed to helping commanders Badri, Mushtaq, Grenade and Islamuddin. He said these men deliberately spread false propaganda, claiming that Pakistani forces comprise of “non-believers”.
Even though, he added, they themselves are the real khawarij.
These militants, Ehsanullah said, launched several attacks, including one on a police station using armoured vehicles and tanks. “Worse, they coerced young men into committing grave sins like sexual abuse and dishonourable acts, all under the guise of advancing their ideological goals,” he revealed.
Ehsaanullah said his perspective changed once he saw how the Pakistani army genuinely followed Islamic morals. “When I saw the army’s faith and discipline… I understood they have true ethics,” the captured militant said, adding he saw military personnel praying five times a day.
The video comes as Pakistan’s war on terror continues amid a spike in terror incidents across the country.
It also follows a suicide attack on a district court in Islamabad killed 12 people and injured 27 others. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility.
The attack in the federal capital was the first in three years, with the last suicide attack occurring in December 2022.
However, other parts of the country, particularly the bordering provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have seen a sharp increase in terror attacks since the Afghan Taliban grabbed power in 2021.
The cross-border attacks from Afghanistan resulted in intense clashes between the forces from Pakistan and Afghanistan last month.
Pakistan killed over 200 Taliban fighters and India-backed militants in retaliatory actions after they resorted to unprovoked firing along the border.
The two countries agreed to a fragile ceasefire after week-long clashes, but failed to finalise its details during several rounds of negotiations that collapsed earlier this month.