On 26 July 2024, in an official notification by the Ministry of Interior, the Pakistani government encouraged all government entities to use the term “Fitna al-Khawarij” to refer to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistan’s Armed Forces adopted the same strategy. During a February 2025 university address, the Chief of Army Staff said, “We will never allow Fitna al-Khawarij to impose their outdated ideology on our country.”

The term, Arabic for “seceders,” would replace the Inter-Services Public Relations’ (ISPR) reference to these extremists as “terrorists,” “militants,” or “miscreants.” Since the group draws its legitimacy from a narrative of “defensive Jihad,” the new term, which originally referred to a sect that rebelled against the fourth caliph Hazrat Ali (RA) known for their extremism and violent secessionism, aims to highlight that the terror group’s activities are detrimental to the Islamic faith.

By invoking this term, the Pakistani state positions TTP not just as terrorists but as heretics who have exited the fold of the Muslim community—a symbolic downgrade in a religious society. This article establishes the TTP’s own narrative, discusses the audiences that the government and armed forces are targeting through their labeling campaign, and assesses whether the strategy is an effective counter-terrorism tool. 

By invoking this term [Khawarij], the Pakistani state positions TTP not just as terrorists but as heretics who have exited the fold of the Muslim community—a symbolic downgrade in a religious society.

Countering the TTP’s Narrative

The name Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is itself a powerful label that explicitly links the group with the national consciousness. “Tehreek,” which is rooted in Persian and Arabic, directly translates to “movement.” However, in some contexts, it also refers to “revolution.” “Taliban” translates to “students.” Therefore, the terror group’s name is commonly understood as “Movement of the Students of Pakistan,” lending it a positive connotation that allows it to relate to Pakistani civilians. Challenging this connotation would require separating the terror group from any association with the country and presenting it as a harmful external proxy.

The Pakistan Army’s adoption of “Khawarij” is arguably designed to fill this gap. In a personal interview conducted with a Commander of the Pakistani Army stationed in South Waziristan, the officer stated that local support for counter-terrorism (CT) operations dwindled........

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