3 days ago
Report Says Pakistan’s Proxy Wars Are Rapidly Changing Disguises
A report says some armed groups may be changing their names to avoid attention.
It claims that Islamic State Khorasan Province can be used as a broad label for different operations.
The report also says Lashkar-e-Taiba may use other names, including The Resistance Front, for activities in Kashmir.
These groups are accused of having links to Pakistan’s security establishment.
A photograph from 2025 was presented as possible evidence of cooperation in Balochistan.
However, the exact connection between the people and groups in the photograph has not been independently confirmed.
The report says Lashkar-e-Taiba remains important because its people and infrastructure may still exist.
The claims come from a report and should not be treated as independently proven facts.
A report says Islamic State Khorasan Province is increasingly used as a flexible label in Pakistan’s alleged proxy operations.
The report alleges that Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives could conduct attacks in Jammu and Kashmir under an Islamic State Khorasan Province label.
It describes The Resistance Front as a recent rebranding of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s activities in Kashmir.
A photograph circulated in 2025 allegedly showed an Islamic State Khorasan Province coordinator presenting a pistol to a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba commander.
The report says the alleged relationship between these networks and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence remains difficult to verify independently.
- Who
- The report discusses Islamic State Khorasan Province, Lashkar-e-Taiba, The Resistance Front and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence.
- What
- It alleges that established militant networks may use rapidly changing names and labels to disguise operations.
- Where
- The reported activity relates to Afghanistan, Balochistan and Jammu and Kashmir.
- When
- The allegations concern recent reports, including a photograph circulated in 2025.
- Why
- According to the report, changing labels could conceal operations and reduce scrutiny after Lashkar-e-Taiba was designated a terrorist organisation by multiple governments and institutions.
Report’s Allegations
Verification Concerns
Use of Islamic State Khorasan Province branding
Report’s Allegations
The report argues that Islamic State Khorasan Province provides an internationally recognisable label that can be attached to operations in Afghanistan, Balochistan, sectarian violence and Kashmir.
Verification Concerns
The report does not establish that every operation carrying the label is directed by Islamic State Khorasan Province or that the alleged networks have a confirmed organisational structure.
Possible Lashkar-e-Taiba cooperation
Report’s Allegations
The report cites allegations that Lashkar-e-Taiba networks may cooperate with Islamic State Khorasan Province and that the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence could facilitate such arrangements.
Verification Concerns
The report acknowledges that the exact relationship remains difficult to verify independently, and the photograph cited as evidence does not by itself establish the organisational connection.
The Resistance Front’s identity
Report’s Allegations
The report describes The Resistance Front as a successful new label that may allow Lashkar-e-Taiba personnel, handlers and objectives to continue under a different name.
Verification Concerns
The report presents this as an assessment rather than independently confirmed proof that The Resistance Front is institutionally identical to Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Key facts
- Main source
- A report by Italian journalist Francesca Marino published in Parrhesia News.
- Central allegation
- Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives may conduct attacks in Jammu and Kashmir using an Islamic State Khorasan Province label.
- Reported rebranding
- The Resistance Front is described as a recent public-facing identity associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba.
- Photograph
- A 2025 image allegedly showed Shafiq Mengal presenting a pistol to Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Rana Mohammad Ashfaq.
- Alleged facilitator
- The image has been cited as possible evidence of an arrangement facilitated by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence.
- Verification status
- The exact organisational relationship described in the report remains difficult to verify independently.
- Designation history
- The report says Lashkar-e-Taiba is listed as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations, United States, United Kingdom, European Union and other governments.
Quotes
Francesca Marino
Italian journalist who wrote the report in Parrhesia News
“In fashion, black has one invaluable quality: it goes with everything. And in Pakistan’s proxy wars, Islamic State Khorasan Province seems to have acquired much the same function: it goes with everything.”
thehansindia.com
“Lashkar provides the men, the history and the infrastructure. TRF provides a Kashmiri identity. ISKP provides global terror branding and an all-purpose explanation.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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