“In war, truth is the first casualty.” Aeschylus
In the arid, rugged lands of Pakistan’s tribal districts, a false narrative has taken root, one that distorts years of struggle and sacrifice into a story of ethnic persecution. Propaganda, amplified by fringe political groups and their foreign echo chambers, frames Pakistan’s counterterrorism (CT) operations as a campaign of “ethnic cleansing” against the Pashtun people.
Yet, this narrative is not just false; it is a calculated act of historical revisionism that disrespects the profound sacrifices made by the very community it claims to protect. The truth is, Pashtuns were never the targets of these operations; they were the primary victims of terrorism and the frontline heroes who fought to liberate their homes.
International Recognition and National Sacrifice
Pakistan’s CT operations were not rogue. They were a necessary, painful component of the global war on terror, and the international community has acknowledged Pakistan’s immense sacrifices. Leaders from the United Nations, NATO, and the U.S. have publicly recognized the country’s contributions.
Former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen once remarked that “Pakistan has paid a high price in blood and treasure in the fight against terrorism.” These operations were a national response to a national threat. The cost was staggering: over 80,000 Pakistani lives were lost, and the nation suffered an economic toll of over $150 billion since 9/11. This burden was shared by every Pakistani, proving it was a national, not an ethnic struggle.
Pashtun Voices from the Frontlines
The most powerful refutation of the myth comes from the Pashtun people themselves. Far from being a subjugated population, they were active partners in the fight. Tribal elders, known as Maliks, repeatedly and publicly supported the military’s actions to root out the terrorists.
In many instances, local Pashtun Lashkars (militias) rose up to fight alongside the Army, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to defending their land and traditions against extremist perversion. When terrorists killed his father for running a school in Bajaur, young Karim joined the community Lashkar not against the state, but against the extremists who destroyed his village. These are not the voices of a targeted people, but of a community defending its way of life.
The True Human Cost: Terror on Pashtun Land
While propaganda focuses on displacement, it deliberately ignores the systematic brutality inflicted on Pashtuns by the very terrorists they claim to represent. The TTP’s violence was indiscriminate, but it had a clear goal: to terrorize and control the local population. They systematically targeted Pashtun community leaders, Maliks, teachers, doctors, and even polio workers who resisted their extremist ideology. The militants waged a systematic war on education, viewing it as a threat to their control.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the former FATA, they destroyed over 1,000 schools, with a majority of them being girls’ schools. This act of calculated destruction highlights that the terrorists, not the military, sought to erase Pashtun progress and enlightenment. The 2014 Army Public School (APS) massacre in Peshawar stands as a chilling symbol of this reality, where terrorists murdered 132 Pashtun children. This tragedy, more than any other event, proved that the TTP was the existential threat to the Pashtun way of life.
Rebuilding and Reclaiming a Future
The military’s operations paved the way for a massive state-led rehabilitation and reconstruction effort. Propaganda focusing on temporary displacement conveniently ignores UNHCR reports confirming that over 90% of displaced families have since returned home. Post-operation, the government built new roads, hospitals, and schools, particularly in the former FATA, to restore and improve social services. The development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s (CPEC) Western route is another testament to this effort, aiming to bring economic opportunities directly to Pashtun areas, a benefit that would have been impossible under militant rule.
A Shared National Burden
The counterterrorism operations were a testament to Pakistan’s national solidarity. The tragedy of APS Peshawar was mourned by the entire nation, not just Pashtuns, because it was a Pakistani tragedy. When terrorists struck, they did not ask for ethnicity. Their victims be they in Peshawar, Karachi, Lahore, or Quetta, were all Pakistanis. The soldiers who fought back, Punjabi, Sindhi, Baloch, and Pashtun, died side by side, united by a shared uniform and a common purpose: to defend the sovereignty of the state against enemies from within.
Countering the Propaganda Mechanisms
The “Pashtun-targeted myth” is not an innocent misunderstanding but a deliberate propaganda campaign. It benefits external actors, such as hostile intelligence agencies and lobbies abroad that seek to destabilize Pakistan, and domestic fringe groups that weaponize ethnic identity for political gain. By framing a national struggle as an ethnic one, they aim to create internal division and erode the trust between citizens and their state. This narrative is a continuation of the same warfare that was conducted on the ground, now fought in the information space.
Unlike the U.S. and NATO operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which often relied on heavy aerial bombardments and occupation-style strategies, Pakistan’s CT model was rooted in community partnership and local engagement. This difference is critical: while foreign powers often alienated local populations, Pakistan worked with Pashtun Lashkars and elders to ensure operations were community-driven, making the liberation struggle uniquely legitimate.
By contrast, U.S. and NATO operations in Iraq and Afghanistan often resulted in mass civilian casualties and minimal rehabilitation. Pakistan’s strategy was community-focused and locally-led difficult but necessary fight that prioritized the liberation of the people. The myth crumbles in the face of facts and the testimony of the very people it claims to protect.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta once said, “Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism, and it has suffered greatly in this war.”
Conclusion: A Narrative of Resilience, Not Persecution
The “Pashtun-targeted myth” is more than just a historical inaccuracy; it is a dangerous and divisive fabrication designed to sever the bonds of a nation united by a shared tragedy. Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations were a response to an existential threat that consumed the country’s most vulnerable regions, with the Pashtun community bearing the brunt of the violence. The narrative of ethnic persecution crumbles when confronted with the reality of Pashtun participation, sacrifice, and leadership in the fight against militancy. They were not merely passive victims but active collaborators with the state to reclaim their lands, their culture, and their future from a brutal enemy.
By focusing on the temporary displacement while ignoring the long-term, calculated brutality of the TTP, the propaganda attempts to turn heroes into victims, liberators into oppressors. The subsequent state-led reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts, recognized by international bodies like the UNHCR, further demonstrate that the goal was not ethnic cleansing but the restoration of a dignified life for the affected population.
Ultimately, the fight against terrorism in Pakistan was a shared national burden. The blood spilled, whether in Peshawar’s school or on the battlefields of the tribal districts, was Pakistani blood. The soldiers who fought side-by-side belonged to every province and ethnicity, united by a common uniform and a sacred duty. The “Pashtun-targeted myth” is a tool of information warfare, and to accept it is to betray the memory of every Pakistani, especially the Pashtuns, who sacrificed everything to defend their homeland from an enemy that was, and always will be, a threat to all of Pakistan.
