The current wave of violence and acrimony arising from terrorism in Pakistan — particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan — has once again made it imperative to revisit and understand the concept of terrorism.

In a recent interview, I defined terrorism as acts committed with political objectives, designed not merely to target an individual but to generate fear, attract attention and destabilise entire societies. A leading academician challenged this, suggesting that politics should not be part of the definition. Yet, global scholarship and institutional definitions affirm that political or ideological intent lies at the very heart of terrorism.

German scholar H Schmitt describes terrorism as the creation of "panic and fear in societies to achieve political goals", whether based on ideological, revolutionary, nationalist or religious motivations. Similarly, Charles Townshend defined it as "the calculated use of threat or violence to inculcate fear, intended to coerce or intimidate governments or societies." The FBI's definition is even clearer — terrorism is "the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government or the civilian population in furtherance of political or social objectives." Bruce Hoffman, in Inside Terrorism, identifies five essential features: political motives, use or threat of violence, psychological impact, organised structures, and subnational or non-state actors.

The United Nations also defines terrorism as actions........

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