Pakistan is facing simultaneous crises across its frontier regions, with insurgency in Balochistan, unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and relentless attacks by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, NDTV Reported.

The security establishment under Defence Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir appears to have reverted to its old playbook of cultivating terror proxies, deploying them selectively, and staging limited counterterrorism operations to maintain international legitimacy.

Reports suggest Islamabad has extended patronage to Islamic State Khorasan Province, also known as ISIS-K or Daesh Khorasan, as a counterweight against Taliban and Baloch rebels. Evidence of this surfaced on 30 June, with claims of cross-border activity between Afghanistan and Pakistan centred on ISKP hideouts.

Analysts note that such incidents have occurred repeatedly in recent years, reflecting Pakistan’s strategy of using one terror proxy to balance another.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has launched over a thousand attacks in the past year, killing hundreds of Pakistani security personnel across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Mediation efforts by Qatar, Turkey, and China have failed to produce results.

Meanwhile, Baloch rebels have intensified their campaign against security forces and infrastructure projects, including those linked to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Beijing has reportedly conveyed its concerns at the highest levels in Islamabad, pressing Munir to deliver tangible security guarantees.

Munir’s response has been a “hard state” policy of coercion in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. This approach has alienated Pashtun and Baloch populations further, deepening the crisis rather than resolving it. Facing converging pressures, the Pakistani establishment has ignored legitimate political grievances and sought to counterbalance through ties with international terrorist outfits like Islamic State.

In Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, unrest has escalated ahead of regional elections scheduled for 27 July. The United Nations human rights agency has expressed concern over killings of protesters and security personnel, urging impartial investigations. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk appealed for calm, noting that dozens of people have died since June in clashes linked to economic grievances and political discontent.

Strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney has highlighted the broader pattern of Pakistan’s frontier crises. Economically marginalised and politically disenfranchised populations are demanding autonomy and accountability, while the state responds with iron-fisted crackdowns instead of political accommodation.

In PoK, protests that began over economic issues have evolved into a wider movement for autonomy. In Balochistan, the separatist insurgency now threatens Pakistan’s economic lifelines by jeopardising Chinese mining projects and investor confidence.

Together, these crises expose the limits of Pakistan’s security-first approach. They underscore a deeper structural problem: the weakening ability of the state to govern its frontier regions through consent rather than brute force. Munir’s reliance on coercion and terror proxies reflects a defensive posture under immense pressure from both domestic insurgencies and external stakeholders such as Beijing.

Agencies