Climate change can potentially exacerbate militancy in Pakistan’s conflict-hit areas Author: Abdul Basit Khan

The article highlights that climate change has become a silent accomplice to militancy in fragile states like Pakistan, particularly in provinces such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. While climate change does not itself breed extremism, it acts as a threat multiplier, aggravating resource scarcity, governance gaps, and community grievances. Militant outfits like TTP and Daesh Khorasan exploit natural disasters at multiple levels: ideologically by portraying calamities as divine punishment or government failure, socially by stepping into relief roles in neglected regions, financially by running fraudulent donation campaigns, and operationally by striking security forces when their attention is diverted toward disaster management. These groups use floods, earthquakes, and pandemics as levers to tighten their grip, undermine state credibility, and expand influence.

The writer emphasizes that counter-extremism in Pakistan must think outside the box by greening its security framework rather than narrowly securitizing climate threats. Just as floods can wash away livelihoods, they can also wash away trust in state institutions if militants exploit the vacuum. Past examples in Pakistan and abroad show how extremists have used disaster relief to woo communities, gather funds, and ambush distracted forces. According to the article climate change may not light the fire of militancy, but it certainly fans the flames. The way forward lies in integrated, environment-sensitive policies that address vulnerabilities, strengthen governance, and blunt the militants’ attempts to weaponize climate disasters.

Overview:

This article reveals the intersection of climate change and militancy in Pakistan, underlining how natural disasters deepen instability and create opportunities for extremists. It explains how militants manipulate governance failures and exploit public grievances to consolidate control.

NOTES:

The article highlights that climate change, though not a direct cause of militancy, works as a threat multiplier by worsening governance gaps, resource scarcity, and community grievances, particularly in Pakistan’s conflict-hit areas like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Militant groups such as TTP and Daesh Khorasan exploit climate-induced disasters on four levels: ideologically by framing them as divine punishment or government failure, socially by stepping in as alternative service providers in neglected regions, financially by running fraudulent donation drives under the guise of relief efforts, and operationally by taking advantage of the diversion of security forces during relief operations to launch attacks. Past cases in Pakistan such as JuD and TLP exploiting floods in Balochistan and global examples like Al-Shabab in Somalia providing services during disasters illustrate this pattern. The author stresses that Pakistan’s counter-extremism policies should adopt environment-sensitive approaches, integrating governance and security responses, so that militants cannot weaponize climate crises to win influence or erode state authority.

Related CSS Syllabus or Subjects:

• Current Affairs: Climate change, militancy, governance challenges
• Pakistan Affairs: Security dynamics, environmental vulnerabilities
• International Relations: Non-traditional security issues
• Essay Paper: Climate security, radicalization, governance vacuums

Notes for Beginners:

The article explains that climate disasters like floods create problems that militants can misuse. For example, in Balochistan, groups such as JuD and TLP stepped in during floods to provide aid where the government lagged, making people trust them more. Similarly, in Somalia, Al-Shabab acted as a service provider in flood-hit areas. Militants also raise funds through fake donation drives, using disasters as a cover for their operations.

Facts and Figures:

• Germanwatch Climate Risk Index (2009–2019) ranks Pakistan among most affected by extreme climate events
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan hit by both flash floods and militancy
• Past instances: JuD and TLP exploited floods for relief operations in Balochistan
• Global example: Al-Shabab in Somalia used climate disasters to replace state services

To wrap up, the article highlights how militancy and climate change walk hand in hand in destabilizing fragile regions. Pakistan’s security cannot be safeguarded with guns alone; it needs green policies that plug governance gaps and prevent extremists from turning floods into fertile ground for recruitment.

Difficult Words and Meanings:

• Symbiotic: Mutually dependent. Synonym: interdependent. Antonym: independent
• Exacerbate: Make worse. Synonym: aggravate. Antonym: alleviate
• Vacuum: Empty space or absence. Synonym: void. Antonym: presence
• Manipulate: To influence cleverly or unfairly. Synonym: exploit. Antonym: support
• Credibility: Believability or trustworthiness. Synonym: reliability. Antonym: doubt