Experts believe that ISKP’s quick declaration could provide an operational shield to divert public anger away from the real perpetrators of the crimes.
According to the DC, District and Sessions Judge, Abdul Hakeem Kakar was traveling from Quetta to Mastung when unidentified assailants targeted his vehicle on the national highway. PHOTO: APPLICATION
After the assassination of District and Sessions Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar in Mastung – an attack that drew swift nationwide condemnation – security experts and analysts have unmasked a foreign-backed hybrid warfare strategy driven by the BLA-BYC nexus operating under the leadership of Delhi and Kabul.
Raising serious concerns about ISKP’s rapid claim of responsibility, experts view the claim as an operational shield intended to deflect public anger away from the real perpetrators.
In the wake of this targeted strike against state institutions, analysts are expressing grave concern about international delays, directly wondering when the UN Security Council will wake up to impose global sanctions against these foreign-backed terrorist networks and their external sponsors.
The targeted attack took place near Wali Khan bypass when the law officers were traveling from Quetta to Mastung. Sessions Judge Kakar and his security guard were killed on the spot, while Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari was seriously injured.
Security analysts view the targeted killing as an attempt to intimidate the justice system, overthrow the rule of law and force the withdrawal of state authority in Balochistan. Having failed to break the resolve of law enforcement, banned insurgent groups have increasingly turned to magistrates, prosecutors and civil institutions.
Intelligence experts describe a distinct, multi-layered tactic taking root in the region as the BLA carries out physical ambushes, targeted assassinations and destruction of infrastructure. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) functions as an urban proxy – providing ideological messages, framing narrative coverage, and building public sympathy to shield armed militants from accountability.
Learn more: District judge, security guard killed in armed attack in Mastung, Balochistan
Transnational terrorist groups like ISKP intervene by quickly claiming responsibility within hours of an attack to absorb public outrage and obscure the real operational actors.
Given the BLA’s geographic footprint and established presence in Mastung, intelligence analysts view ISKP’s opportunistic assertions as part of an operational convergence intended to avoid backlash when civilian or judicial figures are targeted.
Security assessments indicate that external contractors operate from Delhi and Kabul and provide logistics, secure communication channels and financial support to support Pakistan’s proxy war.
Given the nexus between insurgent ethnic groups and proxies of transnational terrorism, security analysts are calling on global counterterrorism agencies to act.
Experts urge international partners to consider these operational and financial networks within the framework of existing UN Security Council resolutions.
They are also increasingly demanding sanctions against designated entities and their external backers to prevent further regional instability.
In statements issued separately, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti reiterated that the state would not give in to terrorist intimidation. Expressing national solidarity, Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi postponed the National Judicial Welfare Conference in solidarity with the martyred judge and the legal fraternity.
Security forces intensified their intelligence operations in and around Mastung, neutralizing several hostile fighters.
The Balochistan Bar Council announced a two-day province-wide boycott of courts and three days of official mourning, calling for increased security measures for court staff.
