It is an observable fact that organisations irrespective of their activities seek to outdo their competition. In monopolies, competition is internalised, leading to power struggles. Arguably the Mehsud monopoly on militancy in Waziristan was one of the reasons infighting began in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The Mehsuds have formed the backbone of the tribal areas insurgency since its inception. When reports of bloody fighting among the terrorists emerged in March this year, the Shehryar Mehsud group was targeted by the Khan Said ‘Sajna’ faction for continuing to support Mullah Fazlullah, a Swati who emerged as a compromise candidate after Hakeemullah Mehsud was killed in a drone strike last November. Pashtuns have monopolised the insurgency as a whole but it seems the Mehsuds were trying to continue their dominance of the terrorist organisation using an outsider, something that offended the other terrorist commanders. Fazlullah reportedly took refuge with the Haqqani network in Afghanistan and his absence fuelled further factional strife, particularly after he sided with the Shehryar Mehsud group against Khan Said, a partisan act that undermined his credibility.News of infighting increased and the launch of operation Zarb-e-Azb put the terrorists on the back foot. Their organisational hierarchy was disrupted, leaving a power vacuum that provided a chance for disaffected commanders to create their own group. This was announced on Tuesday by former TTP spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan, who shot to prominence during negotiations earlier this year. The group called Jamaatul Ahrar (JuI) brings together several terrorist leaders including Khaled Umar Khorasani and Shakeel Haqqani, who are on the JuI central committee, while Qasim Khorasani was nominated as the group’s chief. In a statement Khaled Umar Khorasani said the group was loyal to Mullah Umar’s Afghan Taliban and was against the “misuse of power” by regional commanders that was apparently prevalent under Fazlullah. Haqqani added to this saying, “The wrong policies of the TTP led to infighting…to avoid such a situation in future, we formed JuI.” The JuI heads say their former leaders no longer represent the so-called Mujahideen and claim the distinction for themselves. For the state in its fight against terror, this has positive and negative aspects. While the military remains engaged in Waziristan, observers have noted the absence of terrorists there, with the concern being that they have spread into surrounding Agencies. Infighting weakens the opposition and if the JuI has broken with the TTP, it will make the military’s job easier, but the JuI reportedly brings together groups from neighbouring tribal Agencies like Kurram and Bajaur, meaning geographically and operationally disparate commands outside Waziristan now have a unified structure. Meanwhile most people have forgotten that terrorism remains this country’s gravest threat thanks to Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri’s political stunts. This announcement should come as a reminder to politicians and the public that the real threat to the country remains terrorism, and will be for the foreseeable future. *