Hafiz Gul Bahadur: Exploiting Religion To Fuel Terrorism And Destabilize The Region – OpEd
Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a Khawarij leader, is one of the most sinister examples of how religion may be distorted to gain personal, political, and violent objectives. Bahadur, based in Afghanistan, works in impunity while attack innocent in Pakistan. These attacks target mosques, madrasas, schools, and villages, violating the basic ideology of Islam, which promotes peace, tolerance, and respect for human life. His activities are not only contrary to the teachings of Islam, but he also makes an intentional effort to abuse the religious ideology to gain personal benefits.
The terrorist group led by Bahadur is fighting in the guise of jihad, carrying out meaningless fights that have led to the deaths of innocent people. They have been targeting religious establishments, educational establishments, and civilian infrastructure, and this is the direct opposite of the main principles of the Islamic religion, which are all about justice, kindness, and the sacredness of life. His team is involved in many illegal and wrong acts, including extortion, kidnapping, and killing of civilians without any discrimination. These terror attacks represent a sharp contrast to the real meaning of jihad, in which jihad is a fight against injustice and peace, and not a means of advancing one’s political and personal goals.
The Khawarij, led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, are the epitome of the manipulation of the Muslim religion. He uses religious ideology to accumulate power, whereby he marshals followers by corrupting the Islamic message. His group of followers projects itself as a defender of Islamic ethics, yet their actions speak otherwise of a much more sinister motive. Defense of Islam is not the primary objective of the group, but the expansion of its violent influence, with the help of religion as an excuse to spread terrorism. Instead of considering unity and peace, Bahadur and his followers aim to cause havoc by bringing disorder to Pakistani society since they spread violence in the name of religion. They exploit the gullible and, more so, the disenfranchised, by exploiting their faith as a recruitment instrument into their extremist agenda.
However, the activities of the group led by Bahadur have been destructive, yet it is shielded by the Taliban of Afghanistan Taliban (TTA), who have also given these groups a free hand to carry on with their operations in Afghanistan. This has resulted in the spread of terrorist groups in the territory of Afghanistan, where they cannot be suppressed and can operate and attack without the threat of retaliation. The group led by Bahadur has been provided with a haven where they organize and execute their attacks on Pakistani soil without much difficulty. The presence of the Afghan Taliban in the area, the sleep of these terrorist groups, and their support are key elements in the further destabilization of the region.
The fact that the Taliban tolerates terrorist groups has encouraged Bahadur and his followers to launch cross-border attacks, as they have the logistical backing. To put it in greater perspective, the assistance of the Afghan Taliban is not limited to the group of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, but other terrorist groups like TTP and ISKP also benefit. This makes it difficult because they feel under the umbrella protection of the interim government of Afghanistan, which is either unable or unwilling to control their operations.
The Pakistani state has been trying hard to counter such threats by the use of strategic military operations and intelligence-related moves. In 2025, more than 2,500 Khawarij were killed in targeted attacks, which indicated the determination of the Pakistani state to deal with terrorism directly.
The issue of Afghanistan being a source of terrorism is not confined to the region; the world has a stake in the issue. The Afghanistan war economy, which is largely dependent on the black market, specifically on the acquisition of weapons, is a direct contributor to the existence of terrorist activities. The arms that leak out of Afghanistan fall into the wrong hands of terror groups such as those of Bahadur, and this has enabled them to continue their activities beyond the country. In the fall of 2021, the capture of Kabul showed that there were USD 7.3 million of weapons in it, which speaks volumes about the extent of arms trading in the country. This black market, combined with the haven offered by the Afghan Taliban, is still supporting terrorism in Pakistan and the region.
Nevertheless, Pakistan has not given up and has been determined to eliminate these groups and regain peace and security for its citizens. This strategy includes intelligence-led operations and targeted military actions as the government is trying to have control over the areas that were once characterized by violence and extremism. The unrelenting nature of Pakistan in its counterterrorism activities is shown in its current war against the Khawarij groups.
To sum up, the misuse of religion by terrorist organizations and the manipulation of religion by Hafiz Gul Bahadur to gain personal and political advantages have shown the potential harm of the utilization of religion by particular groups and individuals. Organizations, such as the TTP and HGB, have been able to seek refuge in Afghanistan, where they can strategize, organize, and attack Pakistan under the protection of the Afghan Taliban. The state of Pakistan is determined to eradicate these threats and to bring peace, although Afghanistan is a problem in terms of providing space and shelter on the way to the obliteration of terrorism.
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