Revealed: Links between Pakistani Security Agencies and ISIS in Balochistan

DID Press: Pakistani security agencies are leveraging extremist groups, particularly ISIS, to suppress nationalist forces and government critics in Balochistan, claimed an Afghanistani analyst, citing field evidence and media reports.

Sangar Pikar, an Afghanistani expert, explored the alleged relationship between Pakistan’s security apparatus and the ISIS terrorist group in a controversial thread on social media.

He argues that ISIS’s presence in Balochistan, especially in the Mastung and Khuzdar regions, is not merely a religious or coincidental phenomenon, but part of a deliberate policy to target opponents and critics of the central government.

According to Pikar, ISIS has repeatedly mentioned its bases in these areas, which have a history of activity by anti-Shia Salafi groups.

He noted that these groups operated for years under the support of Shafiq Mangal, an influential tribal leader and former member of an armed sectarian group.

With backing from security agencies, Shafiq Mangal has reemerged as a government-aligned tribal leader and is reportedly leading death squads against Baloch separatists, added Afghanistani analyst.

Sardar Akhtar Mangal, a long-time rival of the Mangal family and a nationalist critic of the army, has reportedly been a primary target of ISIS attacks.