Khalid Janan
A growing number of international intelligence reports, regional sources, and verified documentation show that after the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) launched extensive operations against Daeshi Khawarij in Afghanistan, the group fled into Pakistan and has turned parts of the country into a safe haven, an operational base, and a hub for planning its activities.
Within Pakistan, Daesh members are not only funded, trained, and supplied with propaganda resources. Their missions are also planned and coordinated there before being dispatched to neighboring and regional countries with the aim of spreading violence, fitna, and instability. This situation threatens the security of nearby states and undermines the stability of the broader region, particularly Central and South Asia.
The cooperation of Pakistan’s security institutions with Daeshi Khawarij, whether open or covert, reflects a policy rooted in duplicity. Unless the international community takes this issue seriously and holds Pakistan accountable, the resulting instability is likely to affect all countries in the region.
The killing of Burhan Zaid offers clear evidence of Daesh’s presence in Pakistan. According to reliable security sources cited by Al-Mirsaad, Burhan, widely known as Zaid, was killed by unknown armed men in the Kasur district of Punjab Province. He played a key role in the group’s organizational network, managing support, coordination, and funding for the Khawarij network from Pakistan. His presence confirms that Pakistani territory is being used extensively for the group’s covert operations.
Following his killing, Pakistani authorities denied any connection between Burhan Zaid and Daeshi Khawarij. Al-Mirsaad, however, released a photograph showing him alongside another well-known Pakistani Daesh commander, Umar Bajauri. Bajauri was killed on October 20, 2024, in the Manogai district of Kunar Province during an operation carried out by the IEA’s security forces.
The photograph, obtained from a credible source, clearly demonstrates the links, coordination, and shared objectives within Pakistan’s Daesh network. Such evidence exposes the falsity of Pakistan’s repeated claims that the group does not operate on its soil.
Recently, Afghan security agencies have captured several Pakistani Daesh members alive. These detainees provided detailed information about the group’s structure, responsibilities, and bases, and admitted that they were financed, equipped, and trained by Pakistani intelligence services. Their testimonies strengthen the evidence that Pakistan continues to support Daesh’s destructive activities in Afghanistan and across the region.
While Daeshi Khawarij face heavy pressure from ongoing operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan is creating conditions that allow the group to regroup and regain strength. International organizations, the United Nations, regional governments, and analysts increasingly recognize that Pakistan has become a center for Daesh’s activities, hideouts, and planning networks.
The international community must now demand that Pakistan dismantle these networks completely and hold the country accountable for its contradictory and harmful policies. Failure to act risks plunging the region and the wider world into another wave of violence that could be impossible to reverse.