Author: PICSS Web Editor

Analysis

BLA at a Crossroads: Internal Revolt, Rivalries and the Threat of Another Split

October 23, 2026 · Anoshay Fatima

A deepening BLA leadership crisis has exposed serious disagreements over authority, financial accountability and organisational control within the Baloch Liberation Army, raising questions about whether the militant organisation is heading towards another major split. What initially appeared to be an internal struggle for reform has now developed into a broader controversy involving rival commanders, competing…

Analysis

TTP Exploits KP Governor’s Rule to Promote Militancy in Pakistan

October 12, 2026 · Abdullah Khan, Anoshay Fatima

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has seized upon the imposition of Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to make an appeal that goes far beyond opposing a controversial political decision. In a statement issued on 11 October 2026, TTP spokesperson Muhammad Khurasani presented the militant organisation as a defender of the province’s political and constitutional rights. […]

Analysis

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP): Quarterly Assessment, July–September 2026

October 9, 2026 · Abdullah Khan

During the third quarter of 2026, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) pursued organisational consolidation, geographical expansion and technological adaptation while substantially intensifying its propaganda and recruitment activities. Developments documented in PICSS Weekly Insight reports indicate that the group sought to strengthen its central command under Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, absorb smaller militant factions, expand its presence beyond […]

Analysis

IPC’s Afghan Predicament Conference: Regional Connectivity Aspirations Collide with Unresolved Security and Governance Challenges

October 7, 2026 · Ahmad Rauf

Afghanistan, the heart of Asia, has its own dynamics of dealing with the outside world. Five years after the Taliban took over the country, serious questions are arising over whether the ruling Islamic Emirate will be able to integrate Afghanistan into the wider South Asian and Central Asian region, or whether the country will once […]

Analysis

From Kohat to Kabul: How One Attack Can Collapse a Diplomatic Opening

October 7, 2026 · Ahmad Rauf

Sometimes, a single incident can alter the trajectory of an already fragile situation. The September 18 Kohat attack appears to have done precisely that. Coming at a moment when several diplomatic channels were active between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the attack not only intensified the security confrontation between the two countries but also exposed divisions within […]

Analysis

Al-Qaeda’s Evolution in South Asia: Leadership, Operational Capacity and the Emerging Militant Nexus

September 8, 2026 · Anoshay Fatima

Twenty-five years after 9/11, Al-Qaeda in the Subcontinent (القاعدہ برصغیر) (often named as Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent -AQIS) has neither disappeared nor returned to the centralized model associated with Al-Qaeda before 2001. Instead, it has adapted to South Asia’s changing militant environment by operating through dispersed cells, partner organizations, shared personnel, ideological influence and propaganda […]

Analysis

PUBG and Militancy in Balochistan

September 4, 2026 · Abdullah Khan

Research by Yasir Sial, report written by Aima Ishaq PUBG Battlegrounds is being used for radicalisation of extremism, specifically by the sympathisers of banned Baloch ethno-nationalist and separatist groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), as a platform to show allegiance, membership, or loyalty. Recently, it has been […]

Press Release

Militant Attacks Increase but Human Impact Declines in August Amid Sustained CT Pressure: PICSS

September 1, 2026 · Dr Shomaila Mumtaz

Islamabad, September 1, 2026: The number of militant attacks increased in August despite sustained counter-militancy pressure, but their human impact declined substantially compared with July. According to monthly data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, at least 378 people were killed and 217 injured across the […]

Analysis

Security First, Connectivity Later: Badakhshan’s Crisis and China’s Cautious Calculus

August 14, 2026 · Abdullah Khan

The sharp deterioration of security in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province in recent months should ring alarm bells in Beijing. What was once a relatively peripheral concern is rapidly becoming a direct challenge to China’s core interests: the security of its Xinjiang frontier, the viability of a long-discussed land link through the Wakhan Corridor, and the […]

Analysis

From Khyber to Kurram: Decoding TTP’s Latest Noor Wali Mehsud Video and Its Strategic Messaging

August 5, 2026 · Anoshay Fatima

The August 2026 video continues to counter this narrative indirectly by visually placing the organization’s leadership within Pakistan’s tribal belt. By emphasizing domestic presence, TTP can attempt to shift responsibility away from the Afghan Taliban by presenting itself as an indigenous Pakistani movement rather than a group dependent on Afghan sanctuary.