New Delhi, April 10 When Pakistan entered into a war with the Afghan Taliban, it little realised that it was indirectly strengthening the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). Today, the ISKP has become a stronger force, and recruitment has also increased significantly.
For the Afghan Taliban, the ISKP has always been an enemy. When the Taliban refused an offer from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder of the Islamic State, to fight together in Afghanistan, both groups ended up becoming enemies.
The Taliban wanted no interference from the Islamic State and decided to stay away. This led to the formation of the ISKP in Afghanistan, and since then, it has been in a state of conflict with the Taliban.
The ISKP was formed to take control of Afghanistan and establish a Caliphate in Pakistan, while also targeting India. The speed at which the group was formed and carried out attacks, especially in Pakistan and Afghanistan, surprised many. However, after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US troops, the trajectory of the ISKP changed considerably.
By 2023, the group was largely decimated as the Afghan Taliban took on the terror group. The Taliban managed to maintain pressure until late 2025. By this time, the Afghan Taliban's ties with Pakistan had become strained. Pakistan then accused the Taliban, without proof, of providing a launchpad for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Even as the Taliban continued to deny this, Pakistan decided to attack Afghanistan. The ISKP quickly shifted sides. The group, which viewed Pakistan as an enemy, was now being supported by the same country.
In fact, Islamabad reached out to the ISKP to help it fight both the Taliban and the TTP.
While this has been helpful for the ISKP, the real change began once the war started. With the Taliban busy with the war, the ISKP has had time to rebuild and create a larger operational space.
An official explained that a weakened Taliban automatically translates into a stronger ISKP. This is another problem that Pakistan has created, the official said.
The ISKP, while trying to build a stronger base in Afghanistan, has largely focused on India. It has been making deals with the Pakistani establishment about furthering its agenda in Jammu and Kashmir.
An official from the Intelligence Bureau said that the ISKP is, in fact, relieved that Pakistan is at war with the Afghan Taliban. It has been given breathing space as the Taliban is busy elsewhere.
The prolonged war only means that the ISKP gets more time to rebuild into a strong group, the official added.
Another official said that Pakistan is so focused on the war that it fails to realize that the ISKP can turn against it very soon. The ISKP, after its formation, had targeted Pakistan. Some notable attacks carried out by the ISKP in Pakistan include a suicide bombing in Mastung, Balochistan, in September 2023, in which 52 people were killed. It also attacked a Shia mosque in Peshawar in March 2022.
The ISKP feels that the true Islamic laws are not being followed in Pakistan, and it is time to turn it into an Islamic State.
While the war helps strengthen the ISKP, Pakistan has failed to understand that this conflict is also giving both the TTP and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) breathing space. Both these groups are in a state of conflict with the Pakistan establishment, and they would use this time to regroup and hit harder, another official said.
