Systemic violence in Pakistan’s northwest: Police station bombing reflects decades of militarised state and insurgent power struggles
Original framing: “Suicide car bomb blast kills five in northwest Pakistan” — The Hindu
The original framing omits the historical context of British colonial divide-and-rule policies in the Northwest Frontier, the impact of U.S. drone strikes on civilian radicalisation, and the role of Pakistan’s military in nurturing militant groups like the Taliban for strategic depth in Afghanistan. It also ignores the erosion of tribal jirga systems and the economic exploitation of the region’s resources by both state and non-state actors. Marginalised Pashtun communities’ perspectives on state violence and their demands for autonomy are entirely absent.
Medium structural omission detected in mainstream coverage.
The narrative is produced by Western and Pakistani elite media outlets, serving state security narratives that prioritise counterterrorism over civilian protection. The framing obscures the role of Pakistan’s military-intelligence apparatus (ISI) in fostering militant groups as proxies, while centering Western security interests in the region. It also privileges official sources (police statements) over local voices, reinforcing a top-down security discourse that depoliticises the conflict.
The roots of this violence trace back to British colonial policies in the late 19th century, which divided Pashtun lands and used tribal militias as proxy forces, a strategy later adopted by Pakistan’s military to control the region. The 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and subsequent U.S.-backed Mujahideen proxy war further destabilised the area, with Pakistan’s ISI channeling arms and fighters into Afghanistan while tolerating militant groups in its tribal belt. The 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and drone campaigns (e.g., Obama-era strikes) exacerbated local grievances, fuelling recruitment into groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The bombing in northwest Pakistan is not an isolated act of terrorism but the latest iteration of a 150-year-old conflict rooted in colonial divide-and-rule, Cold War proxy wars, and the militarisation of Pashtun society.