Pakistan: LeT, ISKP forge covert alliance in Balochistan; pact reportedly backed by ISI

After suffering major losses at home — Muridke terror camp – during Operation Sindoor, Hafiz Saeed-led Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has reportedly formed a covert alliance with Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), the South Asian wing of ISIS, allegedly engineered and funded by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).Reports indicate the alliance aims to target Baloch people, with possible expansion to Jammu and Kashmir. A circulated video on social media shows LeT commander Rana Muhammad Ishfaq training with ISKP’s Shafiq Mengal at an undisclosed location in Balochistan.A recently surfaced photograph shows ISKP’s coordinator in Balochistan, Mir Shafiq Mengal, handing a pistol to Rana Muhammad Ashfaq, a senior LeT commander — a symbolic gesture signalling formal coordination between the two groups under ISI patronage.Mir Shafiq Mengal has helped establish ISKP bases in Mastung and Khuzdar and reportedly led death squads against separatists. LeT’s longstanding presence in Quetta has facilitated the growing closeness between the groups.Arun Gupta, director of VIF and former deputy NSA, said, “Pakistan is a master in proxy wars, using terrorist groups to fight insurgencies, but unintended consequences are inevitable. India must remain vigilant.”This alliance comes after India’s strong counterterror actions under Operation Sindoor, which the PM Modi-led government says is ongoing but currently paused. India had destroyed LeT’s den and headquarters in Muridke in mainland Pakistan.After the Muridke camp was destroyed by the IAF, reports have emerged that LeT is shifting to a safer location near the Afghanistan border, with Pakistan aiding its reconstruction.