It is unclear as to which group was involved in the killing of five Chinese engineers in the suicide bombing on March 26 at Shangla in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But the suspicion is on either Tehrik-eTaliban Pakistan (TTP) or Islamic State–Khorasan Province (ISKP). According to Chinese news portal Global Times, Chinese experts believe the attack to be a copy of the July 2021 attack on Chinese engineers in which nine were killed. The investigation in that case had pinned the blame on TTP.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group, has stepped up violence against Chinese interests in the province. On March 25, it claimed responsibility for targeting Turbat naval base in Balochistan. Another attack was carried out by BLA on March 20 on Gwadar Port Authority complex housing CPEC project offices.
Condemning the act at Shangla, the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan called upon Pakistani authorities to investigate the incident and implement measures to protect Chinese nationals and projects — a message repeatedly conveyed by the Chinese leadership to Sharif. That is why Sharif rushed to the Chinese embassy in Islamabad to condole the deaths and assured a high-level probe.
Even if TTP was involved, it is unlikely that it will claim responsibility, lest Pakistan again target Afghanistan in retaliatory strikes. TTP has brotherly relations with Taliban in Afghanistan. That puts Pakistan in a bind. Even if the incident is traced back to TTP, Pakistani authorities will find it difficult to launch similar strikes this time. It could only aggravate the frayed relations between the two countries.
The recent terror attacks by non-state actors like Hamas, ISKP and TTP in Israel, Iran, Pakistan and now Russia have potential to aggravate the ongoing geo-political conflicts and create new ones. By creating more theatres of conflict, these terror groups want to exploit the growing unrest among the masses to enlarge their following and expand their operational areas.Such incidents of violence suit the rulers of the affected countries to create jingoism that helps them prolong their stay in power. It helps them suppress domestic dissent and divert the attention of the masses from real issues. The most glaring example is the unfolding brutal response by Israel against Palestinians after Hamas attacks to keep Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in power.In the case of Iran, its investigations in the twin bombings at Kerman on January 3 had confirmed that one of the bombers was a Tajik, who received training at an ISKP camp in Afghanistan. Even then, it fired missiles on Iraq, Syria and Pakistan, who didn’t figure in the investigations. The Iranian reaction could have broadened the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. However, Iran and Pakistan soon reconciled.
Similar has been the outcome of investigation by Russia in the musical concert attack on March 22. The attack was claimed by ISKP, which released a video to authenticate the same. The four perpetrators were identified as Tajik nationals. Even after conceding that the attack was carried out by “radical Islamists”, Russian President Vladimir Putin, without citing any evidence, alleged that the attackers were escaping towards Ukraine, a charge denied by Ukraine. ISKP would not be unhappy at the outcome.
It is not that Iran, Russia and China have not been on the cross hairs of ISKP. But what arouses suspicion among some analysts is that all these countries are on the side of Palestinians in the conflict in Middle East against Israel-US alliance. These analysts feel ISIS, the parent organisation of ISKP, was a by-product of the US intervention in Iraq and Syria. This is notwithstanding the fact that Washington had forewarned Russia against a possibility of imminent attack by ISKP.
For India, the most disconcerting aspect is that ISKP may try to exploit the fault line between India and Pakistan to create tension. Infact, Afghan national Abdul Rehman al-Logari, an ISKP operative, was deported from Delhi in 2017 on a CIA tip-off. He was planning suicide bombings in India. He blew himself at Abbey entrance gate of Kabul airport killing 13 US troops and nearly 170 civilians within 11 days of escaping from Afghan custody. The threat from this group is serious and requires monitoring by security agencies.
The writer is a former Intelligence Bureau officer who served in Pakistan