Monitoring Desk: Senior journalist and anchor Naveed Hussain presented a comprehensive documentary-episode of The Power Game on Express 24/7, focusing on terrorism, regional security challenges, and the evolving geopolitical situation in South Asia.
The latest episode examined the changing security environment surrounding Pakistan, particularly in the context of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, border management, and regional stability. Through expert analysis and strategic discussion, the program explored what it described as an evolving “Security Triangle” involving the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), and political developments in Afghanistan. Experts, journalists and academicians such as Maj Gen (retd) Inamul Haq, Manzoor Zaidi, Muhammad Amir Rana and Prof. Khuram Iqbal expressed their viewpoints in the documentary.
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Security analysts featured in the documentary said tactics once primarily associated with the TTP and the Afghan Taliban, particularly suicide bombings, have now been adopted by the BLA as well, including the recruitment of female suicide bombers. The documentary described this shift as evidence of increasing tactical cooperation among militant organizations operating in the region.
The report stated that Pakistan has repeatedly presented what it describes as documented evidence of TTP sanctuaries inside Afghanistan, an issue that has strained relations between Islamabad and Kabul. It added that United Nations monitoring reports have identified Afghanistan as a permissive environment for several regional and international militant groups, including Al-Qaeda, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), TTP, BLA, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. According to analysts interviewed in the documentary, these organizations now operate in overlapping spaces and have developed what was described as a “strategic coexistence” facilitated by conditions inside Afghanistan. The programme cited intelligence assessments and UN findings suggesting cooperation between the TTP and BLA, including allegations of joint training camps in southern Afghanistan and meetings between leaders of the two groups in Kabul.
Despite ideological differences between ethno-nationalist and Islamist organizations, analysts said the groups appear to be cooperating tactically under an “enemy of my enemy is my friend” approach.
The documentary argued that the Afghan Taliban have failed to fully implement commitments made under the 2020 Doha Agreement and regional understandings aimed at preventing Afghan territory from being used against neighboring countries. However, some experts interviewed in the documentary noted that Taliban authorities insist they are addressing Pakistan’s concerns and maintain that the Doha commitments were limited to the United States.
The documentary also examined Pakistan’s growing diplomatic and economic pressure on Kabul, including border closures, suspension of trade and the repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals. It highlighted Islamabad’s efforts to raise the issue at international forums such as the United Nations Security Council and regional diplomatic platforms.
According to the documentary, the TTP has significantly expanded its operational capacity since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. Analysts said the group has reorganized itself along lines similar to the Afghan Taliban insurgency model and gained access to advanced weapons, financial resources and safe havens across the border.
The documentary further highlighted the TTP’s increasingly sophisticated propaganda and information warfare campaign through social media, encrypted communication platforms and the dark web. Some experts claimed that elements within the Afghan Taliban, particularly in Kandahar, are using the TTP as a proxy force against Pakistan by providing ideological, logistical and training support.
The documentary devoted significant attention to the security situation in Balochistan, where insurgent violence was described as evolving from isolated hit-and-run attacks into more coordinated and high-intensity operations. Analysts pointed to a rise in suicide attacks, greater organizational sophistication and the increasing involvement of educated youth in militant activities.
The documentary also linked the insurgency to broader geopolitical and economic concerns, warning that militant groups are increasingly targeting projects connected to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), particularly Chinese nationals and infrastructure in Balochistan. Experts said such attacks are intended to undermine Pakistan’s economic future and disrupt Chinese investment.
At the same time, some analysts argued that the insurgency remains geographically confined to certain parts of Balochistan and does not pose an existential threat to CPEC, expressing confidence in the state’s ability to contain the challenge.
The documentary also referred to Pakistan’s longstanding allegations of Indian backing for anti-state militant groups as part of what it described as a broader hybrid warfare strategy. According to the documentary, external support has enhanced the operational and organizational capabilities of militant outfits active against Pakistan.
Concluding the discussion, experts emphasized that Pakistan cannot counter the threat through military action alone. They called for a comprehensive strategy combining counterterrorism operations with political reconciliation, inclusive governance and efforts to address long-standing grievances in Balochistan.
The documentary stressed the importance of countering violent extremism, strengthening regional diplomacy and engaging constitutional political forces to ensure long-term national stability.
