By Ehsan
In the troubled and turbulent region of South Asia, Pakistan’s military regime has once again turned to the same old and dangerous tool that has never brought it anything except disgrace and instability: the use of proxy forces and hired gunmen. This time, however, the target is not just a particular political movement or ethnic group. It is the very foundations of Pakistan’s own stability and survival.
Former Afghan Arbakis, once used as local auxiliaries by the occupying forces and now based in Balochistan and the border regions, are not only adding to tensions between neighboring countries. They are also striking at the roots of Islamabad’s own political stability.
Through this dangerous game, Pakistan’s military is laying the groundwork for a crisis that will one day consume the state itself.
These Arbakis, whose past is marked by lawlessness, abuse of power, and crimes against the people of Afghanistan, are now openly backed by Pakistan’s military intelligence and have been stationed in Balochistan. Reports indicate that these unrestrained and unaccountable gunmen, who even at the height of their power answered to no lawful authority and survived through force of arms and looting, are now being housed in madrasas and residential areas. Under the banner of Islamabad’s so-called “strategic interests,” they are violating the lives, property, and security of local people.
The Baloch, who have spent years demanding their basic rights, now face oppression from two directions. On one side is the state’s repression. On the other are these hired groups, operating with state backing and accused of crimes ranging from kidnappings and targeted killings to brutal assaults.
But this project is more than just another security operation aimed at suppressing people. It is also part of a dangerous ethnic scheme. By deploying the Arbakis against the Baloch and the Pashtuns, Pakistan’s military regime is deliberately trying to fan the flames of division and hostility between two of the region’s largest nations. Using an outside armed group to terrorize local communities, then placing the blame for those crimes on other ethnic groups, is an old tactic designed to tear apart society and turn political disputes into ethnic conflict.
In this way, the regime hopes to redirect the growing public anger over its failed policies into ethnic hostility. History, however, has repeatedly shown that such old schemes eventually turn against those who devised them. The most striking part of this plan is that it also contains the seeds of Pakistan’s own decline. These violent elements, with their long record of defying the law and ignoring state authority, can never remain obedient or under anyone’s control.
The same men who brought nothing but chaos and insecurity to Afghanistan are likely to leave the same legacy in Balochistan. As their activities spread, the border regions are likely to face prolonged insecurity, rising organized crime, and a further weakening of state authority. The recent protests across Balochistan and the closure of major highways are only the first signs of a much larger crisis whose consequences could prove far more serious.
The Pakistani officials using these men against their own people today may find themselves powerless tomorrow before the very storm they have unleashed. The military’s partnership with these criminal groups can only leave Pakistan more politically isolated, more economically unstable, and further stripped of public trust.
In reality, Pakistan is building a time bomb with its own proxy forces, one that will eventually explode inside the country itself. The Arbakis being used today against the people of Balochistan and Afghanistan could tomorrow become uncontrollable armed groups that threaten the stability of the entire region. History has repeatedly shown that military regimes which nurture terrorism and proxy groups eventually fall victim to them.
The Arbakis of today are Pakistan’s inevitable crisis of tomorrow.
