Islamic State in Afghanistan: Challenges for Pakistan

The Islamic State (IS) Wilayat-e-Khorasan, expanded at an alarmingly fast rate. However, because of losses, at the hands of both the Taliban and U.S.-backed Afghan forces, Islamic State's future in Afghanistan was somewhat jeopardized. Nonetheless, seeing as the IS claimed responsibility for two deadly attacks on the Christian community in Pakistan's south-western province of Balochistan among other such incidents it is no wonder that Pakistani counterterrorism officials are concerned about the spill-over of this faction of IS into their country. The recent efforts by Pakistan to safeguard its borders in the form of military operation and fencing have shaped a scenario in which the threat level for Pakistan is now on minimum level. The threat for Pakistan is more ideological in nature and needs to be defended with credible deradicalization programs. It is pertinent to note here that Daesh is at the back foot and is adopting the tactics of negotiation instead of violence. Using qualitative data, this paper aims at analyzing Daesh as a potential threat for Pakistan, after considering the internal efforts done by Pakistan to counter this imminent threat; to what extent these efforts have secured Pakistan from this evil threat and what is still needed to be done. It will also aim to showcase that even though Pakistan must take the necessary measures, Daesh has not and will not be able to expand in Pakistani territory