New Delhi, March 6 – An Islamic State commander, Shafiq Mengal, met with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). This development is interesting considering that the Islamic State has been enlisted by the Pakistani establishment to fight against the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
Mengal, a tribal leader, is known for leading death squads against the Baloch people.
Indian agencies closely monitoring the development say that Mengal joining the PPP is not a routine political activity.
According to an official, it is a way for the establishment to provide him with political cover so that he can carry out covert operations for the army and the ISI.
Mengal has been tasked with bringing together various terror groups in Balochistan to take on the BLA. He would have control over groups such as Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.
All these groups will work together as one unit, with Mengal overseeing the operations and being the head of this group.
Officials familiar with the developments say that such experiments could also be carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
The Pakistani security forces are finding it difficult to suppress the BLA. The group has been a formidable opponent for the security forces. Moreover, the fact that the BLA has the support of the public has made it difficult for the Pakistani establishment to contain them.
Mengal will report directly to the heads of the ISI and Military Intelligence. They will coordinate an attack on the BLA with the intention of ending the group.
With the BLA around, the Pakistani establishment is finding it difficult to provide any security guarantees to either the US or China.
Pakistan is undertaking the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project with China.
China has suffered significant losses in terms of investments and manpower due to attacks by the BLA.
Pakistan has also signed a minerals deal with the US, which primarily focuses on resources in Balochistan.
The BLA argues that these deals do not benefit the people of Balochistan. All the resources that the region provides are being sold to foreign countries, and the benefits are being enjoyed by the rich and powerful who live in mainland Pakistan.
An official from the Intelligence Bureau said that Mengal has already started working. He is planning to move a large number of operatives from the Islamic State from Afghanistan. He is already in the process of setting up safe houses and training facilities in Balochistan.
Once these facilities are set up, the Pakistani security forces are hopeful that their role in combating groups like the BLA will be reduced as this unified Mengal-led command will carry out the task.
Analysts say that this is a very dangerous development. Having an Islamic State terrorist as part of the PPP, which runs Balochistan as part of a coalition government, is a cause for concern.
Now that Mengal is part of a political outfit, he gets the legitimacy to carry out all kinds of activities in Balochistan.
Furthermore, he will be in close contact with President Zardari.
Experts say that Pakistan has always nurtured terrorists. This trend of bringing them into the mainstream and granting them power is a worrying trend.
If the Balochistan experiment succeeds, then the same would be replicated in other regions, including KP, where the security forces are finding it difficult to combat groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and others, officials say.
