Pakistan’s deep state regularly halts investigation by the police against terror groups that ISI nurtures against India, alleges a US-based geo-politics journal Global Security Review (GSR). ISI’s goal, according to GSR, is to promote Pakistan’s regional hegemony while wreaking havoc on the national security interests of both India and Afghanistan

A recent article, Pakistan’s ISI Contributes to Regional Instability, penned by analyst Alexandra Gilliard cites the example of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen terror operative Sehran Sheikh, arrested on December 7 in Kashmir, to bring to light the murky relationship between Pakistan’s deep state and terror organisations in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

GSR, quoting unnamed Pakistan’s police officials, also claims that ISI officers regularly halt investigations involving terrorist groups they support.

ISI’s goal, according to GSR, is to promote Pakistan’s regional hegemony while wreaking havoc on the national security interests of both India and Afghanistan. ISI’s continued covert support for extremists has fostered a growing radical community and new splinter groups that have spread throughout the region, the journal further claims.

“The ISI directorate has enjoyed unparalleled power since its creation in 1948. As the ISI DG is selected by the military branch, the agency has remained steeped in army and military affairs for seventy years. From its outset, the ISI has backed terrorist organisations that provide strategic depth within India and greater influence in Afghanistan,” claims Gilliard. 

“After former President Pervez Musharraf’s pledge to join the War on Terror, the ISI vacillated between continued sponsorship of extremist groups in support of its interests and cracking down on radical anti-ISI groups within Pakistan. Ultimately, due to inconsistencies in its counter terrorism campaign, Pakistan’s intelligence agency was quietly listed as a terrorist organisation in US military documents, instructing that ISI officers be treated the same as terrorists,” writes Gilliard. 

“The ISI is plagued by a persistent hesitancy to destroy terrorist groups, instead hoping to nurture them and use them in the future against Pakistan’s regional rival, India...the Taliban vies for more control, the ISI has provided it with military aid to ensure Afghanistan remains in a state of perpetual instability. Should the Taliban gain power, Pakistan will have a staunch ally in the region, with the potential to form a strategic partnership against India. Should the Taliban fail to gain power, Pakistan will have done its best to destabilise the country and prevent a potential strong governmental alliance with India,” writes Gilliard.