Towards caliphate

Is ISIS making way into Pakistan?

Daulat-e-Islamia Iraq-o-Sham (DAISH), commonly known as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), is a radical militant group of Iraq, currently strengthening its position in Syria. It is an Islamic organisation attempting to establish Shari’a in the Muslim world. Or, at least, that is what it claims.

However, the recent development of declaring themselves as Islamic State rather than ISIS projects a much larger agenda than that of other militant organisations – an agenda that has greatly clarified the staunch stance of IS as being the caliphs of Muslim world.

Their map ravels the scheme of creating an Islamic State of Khorasan, encapsulating the entire Middle East, and South Asia in particular. Here, the subject matter is Pakistan which is already fighting a war against terrorism – against the terrorist group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), popularly known as Taliban, who have created turmoil in the Pak-Afghan region.

Recently, TTP leaders have claimed allegiance to the ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, showing their full support to the group. Now, to what extent ISIS can make its way to Pakistan or lay their dirty hands on this territory are difficult questions to answer. For now we can calculate, assess and make assumptions as to the possibility, but not say anything with certainty.

Firstly, we have to weigh some of the probable factors that may lead ISIS to this land. There are a number of such factors. The state of Pakistan was created on the basis of religion, and Islam is a very sensitive issue here. Sectarian violence that has often shook the whole country in the recent past increases the vulnerability. Sunni majority population will be a likely target for furthering the Islamic State agenda (if and when ISIS manages to land here). ISIS might exploit people to wipe out Shi’ite community that will help them in their greater agenda of imposing caliphate and spreading Sunni ideology on the basis of Shariah law.

Areas like FATA and KP might be the first to be influenced by a group like ISIS, since it promises a caliph and the preservation of Islam. The area could act as a safe haven for the militants. This is also how Taliban have been exploiting people from tribal areas and they have been successful indeed. Recent news of the distribution of DAISH pamphlets in the areas of Peshawar has spurred rumours about the infiltration of this militant group. Not only are the TTP leaders joining hands with the top leaders of ISIS, but the recent recruitment of Taliban militants in IS ranks for joining the battle in Syria, has also provided much substance to the fact that IS has actually made its way into Pakistan.

Around the country, there have been wall chalking of DAISH slogans on the outskirts of Karachi and even in Multan, but to what extent has this been done by agents of IS is unknown. Was it a deliberate act meant to back a rumour or was it a real sign of their penetration in our urban areas?

If we talk about the image of IS across Pakistan, we will definitely see anti-IS sentiment among the population for the fact that they are extremist, brutal, and a threat to state, and human security. In addition, Pakistan has been fighting war against terrorism for a long time and now when thousands have lost their lives to the militants, the state cannot afford to open war on another front and perpetually remain a victim of war.

The term caliphate (or Khilafat) is being used after decades of the fall of Ottoman Empire. It is understandably luring for the hearts of Muslims. This might sway much of the population towards this group as it has been doing successfully so far in attracting those Muslims of European origin and those whose number we can never be sure about. As for Pakistan, IS might attract fighters in the same way that it has attracted them from the rest of the world. But so far no such news has surfaced that any Pakistani has joined the IS to fight for them.

Even after taking all these factors into account, the main question remains unanswered: Will IS be able to take hold of Pakistan? The above mentioned scenarios are likely to play a major role. However, this seems improbable for IS, at least in the near future, but one cannot be sure. Of one thing we can however be sure: the state and military of Pakistan is too war-weary and determined to prevent further terrorist infiltrations into its territory. Backing that is the DG ISPR’s recent statement to US defence reporters that there are no signs of IS infiltrating the country.

As it is, though, there is a ray of hope. The US-Arab coalition’s efforts to counter the IS scourge have significantly weakened the group’s strength in Iraq and Syria, and hopefully it will cause irreversible damage to the organisation that has the blood of thousands on its hands.