Pakistan is reportedly providing support to the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP), also known as ISIS-K or Daesh Khorasan, not out of ideological alignment but as a strategic move to exert pressure on the Taliban and Baloch insurgents. Recent reports have highlighted cross-border activities between Afghanistan and Pakistan, focusing on alleged ISKP hideouts, indicating Pakistan’s use of various terror proxies to counter the Taliban.
The situation stems from Pakistan’s strained relations with the Afghan Taliban since August 2021, leading to escalating cross-border conflicts and increased attacks by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Pakistani security forces. Efforts to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been fruitless, while Baloch armed groups have intensified attacks on security forces and key infrastructure projects, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Facing mounting pressure, Pakistan’s security establishment has adopted a coercive approach in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, further alienating local communities. In response, there are indications that Pakistan is resorting to old tactics by forming ties with groups like the Islamic State to counterbalance legitimate grievances and suppress resistance, as reported by the Baloch National Movement (BNM) chairman Naseem Baloch at a UN forum.
Reports also suggest the presence of ISIS training camps in Balochistan under Pakistani military oversight, indicating a strategic alignment with ISKP to target Baloch nationalists and elements of the Afghan Taliban perceived as threats to Islamabad’s influence. This calculated approach, involving selective enforcement or a grey-zone strategy, aims to utilize militant pressure against both the Taliban and the Baloch simultaneously, as acknowledged by the Afghan Taliban regarding Pakistan’s alleged use of ISKP to destabilize Afghanistan.
