Saturday, March 29, 2025
A confidential intelligence dossier has revealed a startling development: under the patronage of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have formed a new operational alliance. The partnership not only aims to destabilize Balochistan and Afghanistan but also appears to be part of Pakistan’s broader plan to reignite terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Recent intelligence reports indicate growing cooperation between ISKP and LeT. In a symbolic gesture, a photograph surfaced showing ISKP’s Balochistan coordinator, Mir Shafiq Mengal, presenting a pistol to LeT commander Rana Muhammad Ashfaq. This act is being seen as confirmation of their strengthening ties.
Mengal reportedly oversees ISKP operations in Mastung and Khuzdar, handling safe havens, funding, and weapons. Ashfaq, on the other hand, is involved in building new terrorist networks and coordinating with other extremist outfits.
Since Operation Sindoor, Pakistan has shifted groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), and Lashkar-e-Taiba to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). ISI is now using ISKP for new objectives, including targeting Baloch nationalists and Taliban factions that refuse to align with Islamabad.
Intelligence documents show that ISKP has maintained operational bases in Mastung and Khuzdar since 2018, heavily supported by ISI in terms of funding and weaponry. Following an attack in March 2025, where over 30 ISKP militants were killed by Baloch fighters, ISI directed LeT to intervene directly.
LeT has long been active in Balochistan, operating a training center in Quetta between 2002 and 2009. Even Indian Mujahideen terrorist Yasin Bhatkal is believed to have trained there in 2006. Experts warn the current ISKP-LeT alliance mirrors LeT’s earlier cooperation with Al-Qaeda during the Afghan jihad.
A key indicator of this collaboration is ISKP’s propaganda magazine Yalgaar, which has recently highlighted plans to escalate terrorist activity in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. Analysts say the alliance represents Pakistan’s renewed attempt to destabilize regional peace through its “new proxy network.”
In June, LeT commander Rana Ashfaq visited Balochistan, followed by deputy chief Saifullah Kasuri, who convened a traditional jirgah (tribal council). The gathering openly declared jihad against Baloch separatists, pledging to “eradicate anti-Pakistan forces.”
Intelligence sources emphasize that the image of Mengal gifting a pistol to Ashfaq is more than symbolic—it confirms an operational alliance that poses a fresh security challenge not only for Afghanistan and Balochistan but also for India, with Jammu and Kashmir as a likely focal point.
