ISI Targets Chinese Projects in Afghanistan to Preserve Pakistan's Clout

Sohail, co-founder and co-president of the Counter Narco-Terrorism Alliance Germany, emphasised that the move mirrors Islamabad's concern that Beijing's expanding engagement with Kabul, ranging from mining operations to foreign investment and potential transit corridors, could limit Pakistan's geopolitical clout.

"Pakistan's ISI has increasingly shifted towards targetting Chinese infrastructure and investment projects in Afghanistan. This strategy reflects Islamabad's concern that Beijing's growing direct engagement with Kabul, particularly through mining operations, foreign investment, and potential transit routes, could diminish Pakistan's geopolitical leverage. By undermining Chinese projects, the ISI seeks to remind Beijing that Pakistan remains a critical gatekeeper for regional connectivity, especially through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)," the expert stated in an interview with The Diplomat magazine.

"Part of this doctrine involves encouraging guerrilla-style attacks on foreign tourists and investors, with Chinese nationals singled out as symbolic targets. The aim is to create insecurity around Chinese ventures and to complicate Beijing's ability to operate independently in Afghanistan," he added.

Sohail highlighted that ISI is focused on Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor in Badakhshan province, which could serve as an alternative trade route for China, bypassing Pakistan.

"If China succeeds in building direct infrastructure links through Afghanistan, Pakistan's role as a strategic intermediary weakens. The ISI's intrigue, therefore, is designed to redirect Beijing's reliance back toward Pakistan, preserving its geoeconomic relevance and ensuring that CPEC remains the primary artery for China's regional ambitions," he told The Diplomat.

When asked about the seizure of a consignment of weapons from Pakistan headed for the Wakhan Corridor, Sohail noted that Taliban intelligence intercepted a shipment of approximately 525 weapons and 27,000 rounds of ammunition at the Torkham border on February 21. The arms, hidden in trucks, bound for the Omari refugee camp and ultimately to the Wakhan Corridor, he said, represented a sharp escalation in covert operations aimed at the Taliban regime.

"Intelligence reports attribute the operation to Pakistan's ISI and Military Intelligence, which orchestrate the supply of arms to anti-Taliban groups and separatists in Afghanistan. Newly active organisations, such as the Afghanistan Independence Front, along with regional factions, ISKP, and other contracted armed groups, were given weapons to conduct attacks against Chinese mining companies and foreign investors, particularly in the Wakhan Corridor," the expert told The Diplomat magazine recently.

"Additionally, a portion of the weapons was designated for the 'Tajikistan Taliban', a group led by Mahdi Arslan and Muhammad Sharipov, now operating from the Chitral mountain range with Pakistani intelligence support. Their activities target Chinese investors and Tajik border forces in Badakhshan province," he added.

According to Sohail, the February 21 seizure of the weapons shipment exposed the ongoing proxy conflict involving Pakistan and the Taliban, emphasising how intelligence agencies shape regional security.

Asserting that Pakistan's use of extremist proxies to advance its strategic interests reflects a long-standing pattern, dating back to the Soviet era and continuing through the post-9/11 period, Sohail said, "The incident underscores the risks posed by arms proliferation, cross-border militancy, and the manipulation of refugee populations for covert operations."

- IANS