In the last year, the security situation in Balochistan has witnessed significant and alarming developments involving two anti-Pakistan terrorist organizations: the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Their internal conflict, their tactical evolution and the expanding network of external forces exploiting both demand a clear-eyed and systematic analysis from a national security perspective.
A deadly clash in Mastung District in March 2025 effectively ended the uneasy coexistence between the secular BLA and the jihadist ISKP. Based on reports of this infighting, some analysts misperceived that it was caused by Pakistani military or intelligence agencies or that Pakistan’s security services were exploiting their internal rifts. An in-depth analysis reveals otherwise. There is no credible evidence of Pakistani security agency involvement in this infighting. Both organizations have their own reasons to fight each other. Each seeks to reduce the operational space of the other and to consolidate influence over areas and populations in Balochistan. Their rivalry is a competition for dominance — not a sign of weakness.
The State of Pakistan is clear that this infighting offers no relief; rather, it reflects both groups’ efforts to strengthen their positions. Since early 2025, ISKP has expanded operations into Balochistan, clashing with the BLA while seeking to delegitimize the Pakistani state and undermine Baloch separatist nationalism. Both organizations pose serious but distinct threats. The BLA seeks to undermine Pakistan’s territorial integrity through separatism, while ISKP seeks to impose its extremist ideology in the name of religion. Both reject Pakistan’s constitutional order and national cohesion, targeting civilians, security forces, state sovereignty, political stability and economic development. Their rivalry therefore represents an evolving security threat, not a weakening of militancy.
The situation has become more dangerous with the emergence of tactical cooperation be-tween the TTP and BLA. Security assessments indicate growing coordination driven by shared operational interests, common adversaries and overlapping militant networks, signalling a shift from isolated insurgencies towards a loosely connected militant environment. In July 2026, coordinated attacks attributed to the TTP-BLA nexus killed 42 people, including 38 security personnel, across several districts of Balochistan. Pakistan’s military spokesperson linked the attacks to shared leadership and logistical arrangements. The UN Security Council monitoring team has also reported close coordination between the two groups, citing the complexity of BLA attacks, including the Jaffar Express hijacking in March 2025.
Pakistan has responded with resolve. Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, launched in June 2024, continues at full pace. Most recently, Operation Shaban was launched in direct response to a devastating terrorist attack in July 2026 that claimed the lives of 27 police personnel. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, chairing the Provincial Apex Committee in Quetta, declared that the civil and military leadership had taken a collective and singular decision to eradicate terrorism using all available resources. Pakistan’s security posture is firm, focused and comprehensive. The state draws no distinction between terrorist organizations when it comes to safeguarding national interest. Every group that challenges Pakistan’s peace will face the full strength of the state.
Tracing the nexus between terrorism and external anti-Pakistan narratives, one must examine the role of foreign-sponsored hybrid warfare in fuelling and sustaining these organizations. MEMRI, a Washington-based think tank founded by Yigal Carmon, a former Israeli intelligence officer, launched the “Balochistan Studies Project” on June 12, 2025, appointing Mir Yar Baloch — a known BLA supporter with a documented history of anti-Pakistan rhetoric and pro-Indian narratives — as its Special Advisor. This appointment is not coincidental. MEMRI’s own website reveals its strategic intent, framing Balochistan as a “perfect outpost” to counter Iran and its relations with Pakistan and describing Baloch separatist leaders as “natural allies of the West.” This is not scholarship. It is strategic communication in service of states hostile to Pakistan.
The digital persona “Mir Yar Baloch” does not represent the people of Balochistan. It has been widely described as an artificial identity allegedly linked to foreign intelligence net-works, including India’s RAW and used to promote narratives against Pakistan. Such perso-nas can distort perceptions of Baloch opinion and manufacture an impression of widespread separatist sentiment. By serving external agendas, they risk misrepresenting Balochistan’s broader population, which seeks peace, development and prosperity. The MEMRI “Balochistan Studies Project” and similar initiatives have also been criticized for promoting narratives that critics view as part of fifth-generation warfare, targeting Pakistan’s political, social, economic and security interests.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directly stated that India is facilitating attacks on Pakistan by providing monetary and material support to terrorist organizations operating in Balochistan. This is consistent with the long-established role of Indian RAW and Israeli Mossad in fuelling and exploiting Pakistan’s internal vulnerabilities. Their goals intersect: to weaken Pakistan from within, to derail CPEC and to use Balochistan as a strategic instrument against Pakistan’s national interests.
The people of Pakistan in general and the Baloch masses in particular, must understand the nature of this threat. The enemy is no longer only at the borders. It operates on screens, in think tanks and through manufactured digital voices, all attempting to poison minds and fracture national unity. The Pakistani masses must reject all forms of hybrid warfare, anti-Pakistan narratives and the puppets of foreign intelligence networks. The ideological foundations of Pakistan remain non-negotiable. National unity, vigilance and a whole-of-state response are the only credible answers to those who seek to undermine the peace, stability and sovereignty of this nation.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad. ([email protected])
