Converging crises

EDITORIAL: Just when Pakistan could have done with a little less uncertainty, the security and political temperature has risen sharply again. The deadly assault on Kohat Police Lines, followed by another serious encounter in Hangu, has brought terrorism back to the forefront, while Islamabad is once again preparing for political marches behind shipping containers and heavy security deployments. Each development is serious enough on its own. Arriving together, against an economy already struggling with renewed inflationary pressure and fragile confidence, they create precisely the sort of uncertainty Pakistan cannot afford. The Kohat attack was particularly alarming. Terrorists struck the old Police Lines during Friday prayers with an explosives-laden vehicle before armed attackers stormed the compound, eventually leaving 23 people dead, including 17 policemen. Two days later, six security personnel, including two young officers, were martyred during an exchange of fire in Hangu in which eight terrorists were killed. Security forces have since conducted intelligence-based operations around Kohat, Hangu and Thal, followed by strikes against militant hideouts in the border region with Afghanistan. The speed and scale of the response demonstrate that the security apparatus recognises the seriousness of the threat. What remains unclear is whether the recent incidents formed part of a coordinated campaign. That possibility must be investigated carefully rather than assumed, particularly given Pakistan’s long experience of militant groups attempting to stretch security resources through attacks across different locations. The Kohat assault itself displayed considerable planning and firepower. Establishing the networks, financing, facilitators and command structures behind such attacks is therefore as important as eliminating the attackers themselves. Meanwhile, another familiar form of disruption is gathering around Islamabad. Jamaat-i-Islami has launched its protest campaign over the petroleum levy and high fuel prices, while PTI has announced a march towards the capital for September 27. More than 2, 000 containers have reportedly been deployed at various locations in Islamabad and at Attock Bridge, while Islamabad police have sought Rs827 million to cover protest-related security expenses. Even before protesters and police confront one another, therefore, political confrontation is already carrying a considerable public cost. The economic timing could hardly be worse. Consumer inflation rose to 11. 15 percent year-on-year in August, from 9. 2 percent in July, while prices increased another 1. 19 percent during the month. Households that had barely begun adjusting to earlier inflationary shocks are consequently facing renewed pressure. Businesses must simultaneously contend with expensive energy, uncertain demand and an operating environment repeatedly disrupted by political and security events. This is where terrorism and political instability begin feeding into the same economic problem. Terror attacks undermine confidence, raise security costs and damage perceptions of Pakistan as an investment destination. Repeated shutdowns of the capital obstruct commerce, transport, offices and daily economic activity. The state then spends substantial sums containing political confrontation while businesses and workers absorb losses that rarely appear neatly in official accounts. Security agencies must pursue the terrorist networks with the full force of the law, while political parties and government must prevent legitimate political contest from imposing another avoidable economic siege on citizens. Pakistan’s security, politics and economy are already carrying enough strain independently. Having all three competing to see which can generate the most uncertainty is one contest the country can comfortably do without. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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