The BLA has become South Asia’s most capable active insurgent group, with growing manpower, sophisticated attacks, and strong social legitimacy among alienated Baloch youth. Pakistan’s security-first approach and new counterterrorism laws are fueling—not containing—the insurgency, pushing more Baloch toward militancy and entrenching anti-state resentment. The... MORE

Executive Summary: Özgür Altun, a Turkish national and leading propagandist for IS–KP, was arrested in Pakistan after years of orchestrating the group’s online media, recruitment, and logistics networks. His detention marks a major setback for IS–KP’s transnational communications and recruitment efforts across Turkey, Central Asia,... MORE

Executive Summary: The U.S. designation of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organizations on August 11 marks a major shift in international recognition of the Baloch insurgency as a threat. The blacklisting isolates the BLA internationally and reflects eroded... MORE

Executive Summary: A deadly March 2025 clash in Mastung District in Balochistan ended the uneasy coexistence between the secular Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Islamic State–Khorasan Province (IS–KP). The rivalry creates an opportunity for the Pakistani government to exploit as the two groups dedicate resources... MORE

Executive Summary: Thadiyantavide Nazeer is a key Islamic extremist associated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan and India’s homegrown jihadist group, Indian Mujahedeen (IM), and has been under arrest since 2013. Nazeer has managed to use his time in prison to radicalize others and was... MORE

Executive Summary: Captain Rahman Gul, the Baloch Liberation Army’s second-in-command, is thought to be behind the group’s turn toward sophisticated suicide attacks in recent years. A poet and former member of Pakistan’s security forces, Rahman Gul provides his group with both military training and effective... MORE

Executive Summary: Top al-Qaeda leader Dr. Aminul Haq has been in and out of Pakistani prisons over the years. Most recently, he was released in April 2025 and deported to Afghanistan after having been arrested in July 2024. Officially designated as a terrorist by the... MORE

Executive Summary: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has become a prime target for Baloch separatists and jihadist groups, with attacks escalating since 2021 and culminating in high-profile incidents like the March 2025 Jaffar Express hijacking. These attacks reflect deeper regional and geopolitical tensions, as CPEC's... MORE

Executive Summary: In the aftermath of the Indian air strikes on Pakistan on May 6, militant groups active in and around Pakistan took a variety of approaches to responding to the brief escalation within their respective propaganda apparatuses: Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) initially... MORE

Executive Summary Recent meetings between officials from Tashkent, Kabul, and Islamabad have given fresh impetus to the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan (UAP) railway project, with Pakistan leading the way in coordinating final steps before construction. The railway will provide a direct connection from Central Asia to the Indian... MORE