Why Pakistan’s endless war on militants fails to break the cycle

For over two decades, Pakistan has waged countless counterterrorism campaigns against Taliban and Baloch insurgents in its western regions bordering Afghanistan and Iran, yet remains mired in a cycle of violence it cannot break.

Scores of soldiers, policemen and civilians are killed every month in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces, where near-daily attacks on security personnel, government officials and other prominent figures are carried out by militants to undermine the state’s authority and credibility.

Insurgents target patrols, checkpoints, police stations and administrative centres with roadside bombs, explosive-laden drones, coordinated ambushes, suicide attacks, large-scale raids, assassinations and kidnappings.

Pakistan’s military regularly hails the success of its counterterrorism operations, touting the eradication of hundreds of perpetrators each month. Its press releases often read like scoreboards, listing the number of insurgents “sent to hell” – with only a handful surviving to be interrogated.