The Regional and International Conspiracy Against Pakistan’s Security: Role of India, Afghanistan, and the Balochistan Crisis

In recent years, Pakistan’s border regions, particularly Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have become hotbeds of instability. While local factors such as ethnic tensions and economic neglect play a significant role, there’s growing consensus that foreign interference, particularly from India, has been a major driver of unrest. The situation has worsened over the decades, with the turning point coming after the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, which allowed India to ramp up its covert activities in the region. This has had devastating consequences for Pakistan.
India’s involvement in Afghanistan is not new, but it became far more pronounced after the fall of the Taliban. India’s intelligence agency, RAW, has used Afghanistan as a base to further its long-standing goal of destabilizing Pakistan. Through various Afghan governments, particularly under Presidents Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani, India built its influence in Kabul, bolstering its presence through diplomatic, military, and covert operations. India’s strategy involved supporting insurgent groups and using Afghanistan’s porous border with Pakistan to carry out proxy operations, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both of which have witnessed growing militancy in recent years.
One of the most significant pieces of evidence of India’s interference in Pakistan came in 2016, when Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested in Balochistan. He was found to be directly involved in directing and funding terrorist activities aimed at destabilizing the region. Pakistan presented detailed evidence, including Jadhav’s confessions, but India continued to deny involvement. Despite the denials, this arrest confirmed what many analysts had long suspected: RAW was deeply embedded in Balochistan, using separatist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) to carry out attacks against Pakistan’s security forces and civilian infrastructure.
The insurgency in Balochistan, fueled by local grievances and external support, has been particularly violent in recent years. The BLA, for example, has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks, including the deadly bombing at the Quetta railway station on November 9th, which killed 26 people and injured dozens more. The group, which seeks independence for Balochistan, has long been linked to Indian intelligence agencies. India’s support for Baloch separatists has exacerbated the violence, with BLA militants receiving funding, training, and weapons from RAW to carry out attacks. This particular bombing, in which innocent civilians were targeted at a public facility, is a stark reminder of the brutal tactics being used to destabilize the region for strategic gains.
But Balochistan is not the only region where India’s covert activities have had a destabilizing effect. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, home to a large Pashtun population, has also been a target for Indian-backed militants. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group with its own agenda, has found sanctuary in Afghanistan, where it has received logistical support and resources from RAW. Analysts have pointed to India’s role in uniting various militant groups within Afghanistan, using them as proxies to launch cross-border attacks into Pakistan. These operations contribute to the growing sense of insecurity in Pakistan’s western provinces, further complicating the already volatile situation.
The withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2021 has further worsened the security situation in the region. With the Taliban’s return to power, various terrorist groups have found refuge in Afghanistan, continuing to operate with relative impunity. Despite the Taliban’s assurances that Afghan soil would not be used for cross-border terrorism, various factions within the Taliban remain indifferent to the presence of groups like the TTP, which continue to target Pakistan from Afghan territory. This has left Pakistan vulnerable to ongoing attacks from multiple militant groups, some of which receive covert support from foreign actors like India.
Pakistan has repeatedly urged the international community to pressure Afghanistan to curb cross-border terrorism, but these calls have largely gone unheeded. Meanwhile, countries like China and Russia have expressed concerns about the growing instability in Afghanistan and its impact on regional security. For Pakistan, the stakes are high, and the consequences of continued instability are severe.
The recent attack in Quetta highlights the vulnerability of Pakistan’s security situation and the persistent role of foreign actors in stoking violence. While local grievances, such as the political and economic marginalization of Balochistan, undoubtedly contribute to the region’s unrest, it is impossible to ignore the external interference, particularly from India. RAW’s involvement in supporting insurgent groups like the BLA has played a central role in exacerbating the conflict in Balochistan, further destabilizing the region and hindering any possibility of peace.
For Pakistan, this conflict is not merely a struggle against local insurgents; it is a battle against foreign powers that continue to undermine its stability. To address this crisis, Pakistan must not only resolve its internal issues but also continue to confront external forces like India that are actively working to destabilize the country. The ongoing violence in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a direct result of India’s interference, and unless the waqi community acknowledges this reality, peace in the region will remain elusive.
The fight for stability in Pakistan is ultimately a struggle to reclaim control over its borders and protect its sovereignty from foreign powers using terrorism and insurgency as tools of geopolitical warfare. Until external actors like India are held accountable for their role in perpetuating this violence, the people of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Pakistan as a whole will continue to suffer.