A lawmaker in Pakistan's rugged northwest was sipping tea with voters when his phone chirped to life -- Tehreek–e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were calling with a demand for "donations". After the Taliban takeover in neighbouring Afghanistan, TTP racketeering has infested Pakistan's borderlands, locals say, with the group emboldened by its sister movement's success. Since July, the provincial lawmaker -- who asked to remain anonymous -- has been cowed into sending the TTP sums totalling 1.2 million rupees (over $5,000). But the first telltale sign of a TTP blackmail attempt is the phone number -- starting with the +93 international code indicating an Afghan SIM card. Pakistan's military claimed reports of strong TTP in the area were "grossly exaggerated and misleading".

Source: The Express Tribune November 26, 2022 12:09 UTC