For more than two decades, Pakistan has been fighting a war, not just one of weapons and violence, but a war of ideology, identity, and survival. This war has been waged not by a foreign army or a rival state, but by enemies within: those who wear the mask of faith yet act in defiance of every moral, religious, and human value. They are not freedom fighters. They are the Khawarij, and they are the enemies of peace, progress, and Pakistan itself.

FAK targets those who heal, teach, build, and serve, attacking the lifeblood of communities.

Operating as Fitna al-Khawarij (FAK), a group that embodies betrayal cloaked in the robes of religion. Their objective is not justice. It is not reform. It is not even resistance. Their goal is chaos. Their strategy is fear. And their victims are ordinary Pakistanis: children on their way to school, teachers trying to educate the next generation, healthcare workers administering vaccines, road builders, traders, farmers, imams, and even worshippers in mosques.

FAK does not engage the military on battlefields; they strike soft targets. Their war is not against soldiers but against saviors. The people they target are those who heal, teach, build, and serve, the very lifeblood of our communities. With over 83,000 lives lost to terrorism in the past two decades (according to the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies), the impact of this war is not only measured in graves and numbers but in the trauma, the orphaned children, the broken families, and the shattered futures left behind.

One of the most disturbing chapters in this war has been the systematic destruction of education. More than 1,000 schools have been bombed, burned, or closed down in KP and the tribal districts alone. Why? Because an educated child is a threat to them. Knowledge is a weapon more powerful than their guns. A literate, informed, and critical-thinking youth is their worst nightmare. They fear education because it empowers. They destroy schools because they want to perpetuate ignorance. They kill teachers because they fear the truth. The war they wage against education is, at its core, a war against the minds of Pakistan’s future generations.

And while the human toll is heartbreaking, the economic cost has also been devastating. Pakistan has lost over $126 billion due to terrorism, as per figures from the Ministry of Finance (2023). Foreign investors have pulled out. Domestic projects have stalled. Livelihoods have been ruined. FAK’s so-called jihad has strangled local economies, deepened poverty, and widened inequality, all under the pretense of religious struggle. In reality, they do not seek prosperity for the ummah; they seek power for themselves.

Over 1,000 schools destroyed as extremists fear educated youth empowered with knowledge.

Perhaps one of the most heinous aspects of their campaign is their targeting of frontline humanitarians. Over 300 polio workers, healthcare providers, and teachers have been assassinated. These brave men and women were not combatants. They were on missions of compassion, healing the sick, vaccinating the vulnerable, and educating the neglected. They posed no threat to anyone,  except to those who thrive on despair. FAK silenced them not because of what they did, but because of what they represented: hope, compassion, and progress.

Every time Pakistan inches toward stability, whether through a development project, a ceasefire, or a peace initiative, the Khawarij strike. They sabotage CPEC routes, they kill contractors working on roads and dams, they bomb infrastructure. Their violence is not random; it is calculated. Because every road laid, every school opened, every dam constructed chips away at their relevance. They do not fear drones. They fear development. Progress weakens their stranglehold, and that is why they fight it with bombs.

Equally dangerous is their distortion of Islam. They misuse the Qur’an, cherry-picking verses and twisting meanings to justify bloodshed. But their actions defy the core of Islamic teachings. The Holy Qur’an is crystal clear in verse 5:32: “Whoever kills a person… it is as if he had slain mankind entirely.” The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) condemned extremism, warned against those who go to excess in religion, and urged mercy and justice. FAK, however, claims to speak for Islam while violating its every principle. Their war is not for faith; it is a rebellion against it.

What terrifies them most is Pakistan’s youth. With over 70% of the population under the age of 30, Pakistan holds a demographic advantage, a young, dynamic force with the potential to transform the nation. That’s why the Khawarij target youth programs, madrassas, universities, and student initiatives. Because they know that an empowered youth will never bow to their tyranny. They rely on fear. But youth movements, innovation, and ideas dismantle their foundations.

Their violence is calculated to sabotage development projects and maintain their grip on power.

Their pattern is not difficult to recognize. Whether it’s a teacher in Swat, a polio team in Dera Ismail Khan, or a contractor in Balochistan, the method is the same: assassinate, extort, destroy. Their goal is not to defend anyone’s rights but to impose control. They do not build. They demolish. They do not guide. They manipulate. They do not defend the oppressed. They become the oppressors.

These terrorists do not differentiate between military and civilian, men and women, adults and children. They bomb markets, buses, shrines, and mosques. Their victims are not generals in bunkers; they are students on field trips, laborers on their way home, worshippers in prayer. They claim to fight for the people, but in truth, they fight against the people.

Beneath all the religious slogans and fiery speeches lies one motive: political control. They do not want Sharia: they want authority. They do not want justice: they want dominance. Their mission is not guided by divine will, but by greed, resentment, and hunger for power. And that makes them more dangerous than any foreign enemy.

The future of Pakistan depends on truth, unity, and courage to reject extremist ideology.

The time for ambiguity is over. These are not misguided youths or oppressed victims of policy. They are ideologically driven extremists committed to destroying Pakistan from within. We must name them, shame them, and defeat them, not just on the battlefield but in every school, every mosque, every home, and every platform where their poisonous ideology tries to grow.

The future of Pakistan depends on our ability to stand united, not just in arms, but in values. Against these enemies of peace, progress, and humanity, our greatest weapons are truth, unity, and the courage to say: enough.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.