Pakistan’s Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan flatly ruled out the presence of Islamic State (IS) militants in Pakistan.
“No organisation of this name exists in Pakistan,” the interior minister said at the passing-out parade of Pakistan Rangers in Karachi, Dawn online reported.
The statement comes days after the provincial government of Balochistan conveyed a confidential report to law enforcement agencies warning of increased IS presence.
The “secret information report” stated that the IS has claimed to have recruited a massive 10,000 to 12,000 followers from the Hangu and Kurram Agency tribal areas.
Wall-chalking has also begun to appear in support of IS in some cities of Pakistan, including Karachi and Khanewal.
The Tribune reported the largest and richest of militant outfits in the world has gained strength from anarchy. It’s a combination of split warring factions which is now aided by fighters from many countries. While reports of presence of Pakistanis fighting along the group have been denied officially, there is evidence from social media and jihadist forums to believe otherwise.
The presence of dozens of militant outfits actively working in Pakistan could prove to be like a hatchery for the ISIS. But what is more disturbing is the distribution of the pamphlet which asks for support for the transnational militant outfit in Afghan refugee camps. There are at least three renowned militant commanders in Afghanistan that have offered their allegiances to Abu-Bakar al-Baghdadi, the self-declared Caliph of the Islamic State. With sectarian tensions ripe within the country, it’s impossible to think about the implication is such a movement gains momentum? The government should not take the distribution of such material lightly, with Nato wrapping up its decade long project across the border and the rise of the Taliban in across the border, Pakistan is marred with serious security concerns that need to be dealt with immediately. We have a pre-requisite in the form of the TTP which spread from the tribal areas to the entire country