London: Daesh-linked terror groups and sectarian militias continue to operate under the shadow of State protection in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, with Daesh publicly acknowledging having sanctuaries in Khuzdar and Mastung, a report has revealed.
The Balochistan province of Pakistan has witnessed a grim pattern of disappearances and executions since 2008 – a policy critics call “kill and dump”.
“Instead of dismantling these extremist hubs, Pakistan’s establishment allegedly repurposed them for political utility. Militants who once targetted Shias were redirected towards suppressing Baloch nationalists and silencing voices of dissent. These sanctuaries offered more than mere safe haven. Training camps, recruitment networks, and financial channels enabled extremists to extend their reach across the province and beyond. Evidence points to these camps being linked to suicide bombings in Sindh and massacres of Hazara Shias in Quetta, demonstrating that Balochistan’s militancy is not isolated but integrated into a nationwide terror infrastructure,” a report in the UK-based ‘The Milli Chronicle’ detailed.
According to the report, a key figure in this playbook is former Balochistan Chief Minister Naseer Mengal’s son Shafiq Mengal, who after leaving Aitchison College, immersed himself in a Deobandi seminary and created connection with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). It stated that Mengal created the Musalla Diffa Tanzeem, a militia that became known for abductions, torture, and extrajudicial killings. His death squads targetted activists, students, and poets who advocated for Baloch rights. Under Mengal’s leadership, extremists became strong, often operating with complete impunity.
“Death squads like Mengal’s were instrumental in executing this strategy on behalf of the state. A grenade attack on a Baloch Students Organization (BSO-Azad) rally took place in 2010. This was followed by targetted assaults on cultural events, which killed and crippled young participants. Abductions and executions of minors, such as Balaach and Majeed Zehri, further deepened the climate of fear. Each incident reinforced the perception that Pakistan’s security agencies outsourced their dirtiest operations to extremists. This outsourcing provided deniability to the Army while terrorising Baloch civil society into silence,” wrote London-based columnist Omer Wazir.
Lawmakers, including Sardar Akhtar Mengal, have accused Pakistani Army of arming and protecting militias to curb nationalist movements. The complicity also extended to political elite. Balochistan’s Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bughti, has been accused of maintaining his own militia. This convergence of politics, militancy, and military support showcases how established has the system become.
Families of missing persons holding pictures of sons, brothers, fathers who vanished at the hands of militias or security forces often gather in Quetta and other areas for the release of their loved ones. The peaceful protests of the families of missing persons are often met with indifference or outright repression.
“Even demonstrations in Islamabad demanding accountability have been crushed, underscoring the hypocrisy of Pakistan’s claims to democratic governance. Civil society remains caught between the hammer of the Army and the anvil of extremists. While families demand answers, groups like Daesh and Mengal’s militias operate with apparent freedom, enjoying access to weapons, vehicles, and funding. Balochistan offers a sobering lesson in how states can manufacture and weaponize extremism for political ends. The Daesh footprint in the province is not merely about sectarian violence; it reflects a deeper policy of political engineering and state-backed terror,” the Milli Chronicle report mentioned.
(IANS)
