Pakistan's military establishment is reportedly extending covert patronage to the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) — not out of ideological alignment, but as a calculated strategic tool to pressure both the Afghan Taliban and Baloch insurgents, according to a detailed report by the US-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). The findings, published in July 2026, warn that these emerging links carry serious implications for regional and global security.

Cross-Border Strikes and the ISKP Connection

On 30 June 2026, reports emerged of cross-border drone activity between Afghanistan and Pakistan, centred on alleged ISKP hideouts. According to the MEMRI report, such incidents have grown more frequent as Pakistan has reportedly devised a strategy to counter the Taliban through terror proxies operating in the region.

Pakistan's military has simultaneously carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan under the stated pretext of counterterrorism. Critics argue these strikes, which have reportedly targeted civilian populations, function as pressure operations against the Taliban government while projecting a counterterrorism posture to Western audiences.

Why Pakistan Turned to ISKP

The report traces Pakistan's alleged pivot to ISKP directly to the collapse of its relationship with the Afghan Taliban following August 2021. Cross-border skirmishes between Pakistani and Afghan forces have escalated sharply. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) launched over 1,000 attacks in 2025 alone, inflicting significant casualties on Pakistani security forces across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Mediation efforts involving Qatar, Turkey, and China have, according to the report, yielded no progress.

Simultaneously, Baloch armed groups have intensified attacks on security forces and key infrastructure projects in Balochistan, including assets tied to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Chinese concerns over the safety of their personnel and investments have reportedly been conveyed directly to Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, placing him under considerable pressure.

The 'Hard State' Policy and Its Fallout

In response to converging security pressures, Munir has reportedly adopted what the report describes as a 'hard state' policy of coercion in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Analysts cited in the report argue this approach has further alienated Pashtun and Baloch populations, deepening the crisis rather than resolving it.

The report contends that, facing these pressures, Pakistan's security establishment has reverted to what analysts describe as a four-decade-old playbook: cultivating terror proxies, deploying them selectively, and performing just enough counterterrorism theatre to retain international legitimacy — a pattern critics say has been applied both against India and in Afghanistan.

International Community Called to Act

The MEMRI report issues a direct call to Western governments, urging them to condition military and economic assistance to Islamabad on verifiable, independently monitored action against ISKP networks operating inside Pakistan. It warns that growing instability in South Asia carries the potential for wider consequences for global security.

With Pakistan's alleged ISKP links now drawing scrutiny from international researchers, pressure on Islamabad to demonstrate credible, transparent counterterrorism action is likely to intensify in the months ahead.