Irony hard to ignore: Foreign policy expert slams Pakistan’s leadership of SCO anti-terror body

When Pakistan took over the chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) last month, it was a moment rich in irony. As analyst Siddhant Kishore,a Washington-based national security and foreign policy analyst, quipped in The Milli Chronicle, it was a state sponsor of terrorism now overseeing a regional network tasked with combating it.

“The irony is hard to ignore,” Kishore wrote. “For Islamabad’s international posture and domestic rhetoric to carry credibility, its territory must no longer serve as a safe haven for groups trained and funded to strike Indian soil. Yet, the evidence suggests this condition remains far from met.”

‘BLEEDING INDIA WITH A THOUSAND CUTS’

Kishore argued that Pakistan’s militant infrastructure remains intact and active, even as it publicly chairs an anti-terror forum. He said the country’s military doctrine of ‘bleeding India with a thousand cuts’ continues to drive its proxy war strategy.

“Under this logic, groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) serve not merely ideological but strategic purposes,” he noted.

Despite India’s Operation Sindoor in May 2025, which targeted JeM infrastructure in Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, Kishore said the group continues to plan operations, maintain training facilities, and innovate its fundraising mechanisms.

According to his analysis, JeM is now attempting to rebuild over 300 terror hubs across Pakistan. Even after losing family members and headquarters in Bahawalpur, Masood Azhar remains defiant, he wrote.

WOMEN’S JIHAD AND NEXT-GEN MILITANCY

In a chilling development, Kishore highlighted JeM’s plans to launch a women’s jihad course, dubbed Jamat-ul-Mominat. “If implemented, this could mirror tactics used by ISIS and Boko Haram,” he warned.

The analyst also drew attention to a generational shift in terror leadership. “The son of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed has openly defied extradition calls,” Kishore noted, adding that Talha Saeed’s rise as head of an LeT-linked mosque in Lahore signals continuity, not reform.

“These are not isolated cases,” he wrote. “They underscore Pakistan’s structural complicity and the normalization of militant influence in public life.”

DIGITAL TERROR FINANCING AND HOLLOW FATF COMPLIANCE

Kishore said Pakistan’s terror ecosystem has adapted to digital finance, exploiting mobile wallets and e-payment platforms to evade scrutiny. “Militant funding has evolved faster than Pakistan’s regulatory systems,” he wrote, adding that FATF’s 2022 Grey List exit was not bulletproof.

“This digital adaptation is not evidence of militant defeat but proof of resilience,” he said.

THE US PARADOX

Kishore warned that Pakistan’s growing proximity to Washington could further embolden its military leadership. “As Pakistan portrays itself as a ‘regional counterterror partner,’ Washington remains inclined to prioritise a transactional relationship over accountability,” he observed.

He cautioned that these dynamic risks reinforcing Islamabad’s belief that it can pursue dual policies, cooperation abroad and complicity at home.

Kishore concluded with a pointed warning: “Until Pakistan matches words with actions, its participation in regional counterterror frameworks will remain a facade.” He added, “The question for the international community is not whether Pakistan can change, but whether it wants to.”

– Ends