Pakistan’s ISI and the Army’s Love for Proxy Wars: The Chickens Have Finally Come Home to Roost
By playing arsonist in its own backyard for decades, Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI, its military establishment, and its all-weather ally China are now watching as the flames threaten to engulf their own house.
The recent hijacking of the Jaffar Express by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is not just another unfortunate terror incident—it is a direct consequence of Pakistan’s decades-old obsession with nurturing and exporting terrorism, only to now face the consequences on its own soil.
For years, Pakistan’s powerful military-intelligence complex has functioned as the world’s biggest talent agency for jihadists, manufacturing and exporting militant groups to its neighbors while feigning victimhood. From training and funding Kashmiri insurgents, to propping up the Taliban and the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan, to playing godfather to LeT, JeM, and Al-Qaeda remnants, the ISI has long maintained a profitable side hustle in geopolitical sabotage.
And yet, the world is expected to shed tears when the same Pakistan, whose army once treated Balochistan like an occupied colony, now finds itself under siege by insurgents who have learned from the very tactics that ISI itself perfected. Oh, the irony.
ISI’s Favorite Proxy War Backfires – Hard
Pakistan’s ISI has spent decades weaponizing Islamists, pushing its jihadist-for-hire policy to destabilize India and Afghanistan. The Haqqani Network, one of ISI’s star pupils, was so well-groomed that even U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan openly referred to them as a “veritable arm” of Pakistan’s intelligence. This group, responsible for countless deadly attacks in Kabul, has now found new power in the Taliban-led Afghanistan—while Pakistan gets blown to pieces by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an offshoot of its own Frankenstein creation.
But perhaps the biggest miscalculation has been Balochistan. While the ISI and Pakistan Army were busy eliminating dissidents, disappearing activists, and funding extremist Islamist outfits to counter Baloch nationalism, they forgot one small detail—oppression breeds resistance. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), now a formidable force, is hitting back with precision, much like the Afghan resistance did against Soviet invaders decades ago. And let’s not forget, ISI-trained Afghan jihadists played a starring role in that war. Poetic justice, perhaps?
China’s Role in Enabling Pakistan’s Military Adventures
Pakistan’s military adventurism wouldn’t have been possible without China’s deep pockets and strategic indulgence. As Beijing poured billions into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), promising infrastructure, trade, and progress, it turned a convenient blind eye to Pakistan’s relentless persecution of the Baloch people.
The Pakistani army slaughtered Baloch civilians and handed over their land to Chinese companies, under the guise of “development.” In return, China got access to Gwadar port, lucrative mining rights, and a colonial-style economic grip over Pakistan. But guess what? The BLA isn’t playing along.
The same terror apparatus that ISI wielded like a blunt instrument for decades is now being used against Chinese nationals and infrastructure projects. The BLA has already targeted multiple Chinese projects, and Beijing is quickly learning that Pakistan’s military can’t even protect its own people, let alone Chinese interests. Another fine investment decision, Beijing!
Pakistan’s Military: A State Within a State
What makes all of this particularly tragic (or darkly humorous) is that Pakistan’s own elected governments have little say in these matters. The real power lies with the military, a bloated institution that has siphoned away national resources, crushed dissent, and fueled insurgencies abroad—all while keeping a firm grip on Pakistan’s foreign and defense policy.
While Pakistan’s generals live in luxurious housing societies and control billion-dollar business empires, the country’s economy is in ruins, inflation is skyrocketing, and the common people suffer. The Pakistani military has spent decades justifying its control under the pretense of “national security,” all while losing every war it has ever started.
And now, the world watches as the same Pakistan that enabled militancy, refused to learn from history, and let its military run amok, is now being torn apart by insurgents within its own borders. But instead of sympathy, the world (and especially its neighbors) see only karmic payback.
No Sympathy for the Architect of Chaos
Pakistan’s military elite gambled with terrorism, treated its neighbors like battlegrounds, and relied on China’s blank checks to keep its failing state afloat. But now, as the country suffers attacks on its own soil—from the very groups it once backed—its neighbors have little sympathy left.
India, which has endured decades of cross-border terrorism, has no reason to mourn Pakistan’s internal chaos. Afghanistan, tired of Pakistan’s double games, barely pretends to listen anymore. Iran, often accused by Pakistan of harboring Baloch militants, has openly retaliated against Pakistani bases. Even China is reconsidering its investments, after repeated attacks on its nationals and projects.
So when Pakistan now cries foul about “external interference” in Balochistan, one can only chuckle. After all, who better understands the art of exporting terrorism than Pakistan itself?
As the fires of insurgency burn closer to home, perhaps it’s time for Pakistan’s deep state to take a long, hard look in the mirror. But knowing their track record, they’ll probably just blame India again.
