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Pakistan Militant Groups Target Chinese Investments in Afghanistan: Analysts

Analysts argue Pakistan's engagement with militant groups strategically aims to deter Chinese investment in Afghanistan and pressure the Afghan Taliban. The report cites the January 2026 ISKP attack on a Kabul restaurant as part of a pattern of violence targeting Chinese nationals and economic interests. Taliban officials and critics allege Pakistan's ISI facilitates ISKP operations, an accusation Islamabad denies. Persistent security threats from these militant networks continue to constrain Afghanistan's economic development and foreign investment.

Key Points: Pak Terror Groups Target Chinese Afghan Investments

  • ISKP targets Chinese interests
  • Pakistan accused of supporting militants
  • Security hinders Afghan development
  • Taliban alleges ISI involvement
  • Chinese projects proceed slowly
2 min read

Pak terror groups involved in targetting Chinese investments in Afghanistan: Analysts

Analysts report Pakistan-backed militants target Chinese investments in Afghanistan to preserve regional influence and pressure the Taliban.

"Pakistan's engagement with militant groups... serves strategic purposes including deterring Chinese investment - Analysts"

Kabul, Jan 26

Pakistan's engagement with militant groups, analysts argue, serves strategic purposes including deterring Chinese investment in Afghanistan to preserve Pakistani regional influence and pressuring the Afghan Taliban over Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan sanctuaries, a report said on Monday.

It added that the January 2026 terror attack on a Kabul restaurant by the terrorist group Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) highlights the security challenges undermining foreign economic engagement in Afghanistan.

According to a report in Afghanistan's leading news agency Khaama Press, Pakistan denies allegations of cross-border militancy, while Taliban officials and some analysts claim that Pakistan-backed networks facilitate ISKP operations in the region.

"On January 19, 2026, a suicide bombing at a Chinese-owned restaurant in Kabul's Shahr-e-Naw district killed multiple civilians, including Chinese nationals. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed responsibility, framing the attack as targetting Chinese presence in Afghanistan. This incident continues a pattern of violence against Chinese interests in the country," the report detailed.

"Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, Chinese engagement in Afghanistan has proceeded alongside periodic ISKP attacks on Chinese targets. Notable incidents include a 2022 hotel attack in Kabul targeting Chinese nationals and attacks on Chinese workers in subsequent years. While ISKP has claimed responsibility for these attacks, the extent to which they represent a coordinated campaign versus opportunistic violence remains debated among security analysts," it noted.

Pakistan has long faced accusations of supporting certain militant groups while combating others - an accusation that Islamabad consistently rejected.

"Critics point to groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which Pakistan banned following international pressure after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, though enforcement of this ban has been questioned by India and international observers," the report mentioned.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has alleged that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) enabled the relocation of ISKP operatives, particularly amid heightened border tensions in 2024-2025.

The report further said, "Chinese investments in Afghanistan, including projects like the Amu Darya oil development and the Mes Aynak copper mine, have proceeded slowly due to multiple factors: security concerns, Taliban governance capacity, international sanctions complications, and commercial viability questions."

Until the global community, it said, "develops mechanisms to address the underlying sources of militant capacity in the region - whether through state failure or deliberate policy" - Afghanistan's economic development "will remain constrained by persistent security threats".

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priyanka N
Very sad for the civilians killed in the restaurant attack. No political agenda justifies the loss of innocent lives. The people of Afghanistan have suffered enough. The international community needs to find a way to cut off funding and support to all terror groups, regardless of who backs them.
A
Aman W
China thought their money and CPEC would buy them immunity from Pakistan's terror problem. They're learning the hard way that you can't do business in a nest of vipers and expect not to get bitten. India has been saying this for years about cross-border terrorism.
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Sarah B
As an analyst following the region, I think the report makes valid points, but it oversimplifies the ISI's control. The situation is more chaotic. However, the core argument stands: Pakistan's establishment has never fully abandoned militant groups as strategic assets, and this creates blowback that destabilizes the entire region.
K
Karthik V
The Mes Aynak copper mine is a huge project. If security doesn't improve, China might pull out, leaving Afghanistan even poorer. The Taliban need to understand that without real peace, no development is possible. They can't just blame Pakistan for everything; they need to secure their own house.
V
Varun X
So Pakistan is scared of losing influence to China in Afghanistan? That's rich. They've bled Afghanistan dry for years. Now they're using the same old playbook of proxies to sabotage progress. When will the world hold them accountable? The report on LeT is absolutely correct—the ban is just on paper.

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