ISI Plots Attacks on Chinese Afghan Investments Amid Waning Control

This was a sour point for Pakistan as it felt that it had the Afghan Taliban under its control. India and Afghanistan have agreed on several points, including cooperation on trade and security. The Taliban is no longer under the control of Pakistan, and the regime has decided to act independently when it comes to foreign policy.

While Pakistan is at war with the Taliban, it is also finding the increasing interest that the Chinese have been taking in Afghanistan to be an irritant. Pakistan was not entirely happy when the Chinese insisted that Kabul would be part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project 2.0 (CPEC). Officials say that this is not the kind of decision that Pakistan wanted China to take, but it was left with no choice since Islamabad is in doldrums when it comes to its economy.

The ISI has set up special units to monitor the situation at the Wakhan Corridor, which is a narrow strip in northeastern Afghanistan. This corridor is of significant value for the Chinese as it opens the trading route to Afghanistan. The Wakhan Corridor shares the border with China to the east. It also shares the border with Pakistan to the South and Tajikistan to the north.

China has been looking at this corridor for some time now, as it could open up connectivity to Afghanistan. Officials explain that the opening of this corridor would mean that both China and Afghanistan could indulge in trade.

Pakistan watchers say that Pakistan is fast losing its grip over Afghanistan. Diplomatic ties between the two countries have collapsed, and there is a full-blown war that is underway. Pakistan has been repeatedly spreading a false narrative that India has been backing the Taliban in the war. India has also been falsely accused of fuelling the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Pakistan has repeatedly claimed that China is an all-weather ally. However, that perception is fast changing as the mistrust against Islamabad is growing in Beijing. Pakistan opened up to the United States and even signed a minerals deal. China, however, has not welcomed this development and even questioned Islamabad about its intentions.

Beijing has been accusing Pakistan of not doing enough to safeguard its investments. The CPEC project has often been hit as the people of Balochistan say that their resources are being looted, but the people of the region fail to reap any benefit. Insurgent groups in Balochistan have repeatedly hit Chinese investments and its nationals, which has left Beijing seething with rage.

Another official said that China has realised that Pakistan is not entirely trustworthy and hence there is a need to open up in Afghanistan. The Taliban has been clear that it will welcome all investments which would benefit the nation. However, Afghanistan has stood firm that it will not accept any interference when it comes to its foreign policy.

The fact that China has been opening up to Afghanistan has prompted the ISI to set up hit squads that would damage Beijing's interests. The focus is heavily on the Wakhan Corridor, and the ISI has been plotting large-scale strikes to ensure that this part of Afghanistan shuts down to China. Any major move by the Chinese in Afghanistan would be viewed as a failure for Islamabad. This only means that Pakistan would further lose its grip over Afghanistan.

The Chinese have been planning various projects in the corridor, and if they go through, Pakistan would no longer be the main transit point for trade in the region.

Pakistan, which has been cosying up to the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), will use the terrorists of this group to strike at the corridor. The ISKP, which has been backing Pakistan in its fight against the BLA and the TTP, will agree to strike at the Wakhan Corridor at the behest of the ISI. For the ISKP, gaining control over Afghanistan is the key focus. It has not been able to beat the Taliban and hence would agree to any proposal to hurt the regime in Afghanistan, officials say.

Experts say that the ISI wants to target Chinese interests and its nationals involved in projects to be undertaken at the Wakhan Corridor. This would create insecurity and fear, which would make the Chinese wary of investing in the region.

- IANS