New Delhi: An Islamic State commander, Shafiq Mengal, has met Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), in a development that has drawn attention from security agencies.

The move comes amid reports that the Pakistan establishment has roped in the Islamic State to counter the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Mengal, a tribal leader, is known for allegedly leading death squads targeting Baloch people in the restive Balochistan region.

Indian agencies closely monitoring the development say Mengal’s entry into the PPP should not be seen as routine political activity. They believe the move could be aimed at providing him political cover while undertaking operations linked to the ongoing conflict with the BLA.

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It is the way of the establishment providing him political cover so that he can undertake covert operations for the army and ISI, an official said.

Mengal has been put in charge of getting terror groups in Balochistan together to take on the BLA. He would have control over many terror groups, such as the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

All these groups will work along with the Islamic State as one unit. Mengal would oversee the operations, and he would be the head of this group.

Such experiments could be carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as well, officials familiar with the developments say.

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The Pakistan security forces are finding it hard to suppress the BLA. The group has been hard to beat for the security forces. Moreover, the fact that the BLA has the backing of the public has also made it hard for the Pakistan establishment to contain them.

Mengal would report directly to the heads of the ISI and Military Intelligence. They would together coordinate an attack on the BLA with the intention of putting an end to the group.

With the BLA around, the Pakistan establishment is finding it hard to give any security guarantee to either the US or China.

Pakistan is undertaking the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project with the Chinese.

The Chinese have faced immense losses both in terms of investments as well as manpower, owing to the strikes by the BLA.

With the US, Pakistan has signed a minerals deal, which largely focuses on resources in Balochistan.

The BLA argues that these deals do not help the people of Balochistan. All the resources that the region provides are being sold off to foreign countries, and the benefits are being reaped by the rich and powerful who live in mainland Pakistan.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that Mengal has already got down to business. He is planning on moving a large number of operatives of the Islamic State from Afghanistan. He is already in the process of setting up safe houses and training facilities in Balochistan.

Once set up, the security forces of Pakistan are hopeful that their role in battling groups such as the BLA will reduce as this unified Mengal-led command would carry out the job.

Pakistan watchers say that this is a very dangerous development. To have an Islamic State terrorist as part of the PPP, which runs Balochistan as part of a coalition government, is concerning.

Now that Mengal is part of a political outfit, he gets the legitimacy to carry out all kinds of activities in Balochistan.

Further, he would be in close contact with President Zardari.

The experts say that Pakistan has always nurtured terrorists. This trend of bringing them into the mainstream and granting them power is a worrying trend.

If the Balochistan experiment succeeds, then the same would be replicated in other regions, including KP, where the security forces are finding it hard to battle outfits such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and others, officials say. IANS