Sabotage By Design: How Pakistan’s ISI keeps the region on edge

The ISI’s ongoing covert operations, radicalised leadership, and internal power struggles have rendered global peace initiatives ineffective, and have perpetuated a cycle of violence and instability in South Asia

For decades now, the pursuit of peace and stability in South Asia has been a central objective for the international community. This was particularly apparent in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, when most countries, despite condemning the attack, were calling for an end to the conflict and a return to peace.

United States President Donald Trump made repeated calls for mediation, which were rejected by India. Iran reached out to both sides, while even China called for an end to the conflict. The most recent condemnation was by the Quad joint statement, which unequivocally condemned it in the strongest terms. Yet, despite all these repeated diplomatic initiatives, security interventions, and multilateral negotiations, the region remains a cauldron of conflict and volatility.

At the heart of this persistent instability lies the covert agenda of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), an agency whose radicalised leadership and clandestine operations have systematically undermined peace processes, empowered terrorist networks, and perpetuated regional insecurity.

Destabilisation as doctrine

Since the 1980s, the ISI has actively pursued a doctrine of ‘strategic depth’ in Afghanistan and a policy of ‘bleeding’ adversaries through asymmetric warfare. This has involved the creation, nurturing, and deployment of a vast network of proxy militants, ranging from the Taliban and Haqqani Network in Afghanistan to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan.

The ISI’s leadership, often drawn from the most radicalised segments of Pakistan’s military, views these groups as instruments of statecraft — tools to exert influence, deter adversaries, and control the region’s political landscape. The ISI has not only nurtured regional terror groups and networks, but has also supported and helped establish international terrorist organisations, such as the Mujahideen during the first Afghan War, as well as Al Qaeda and ISIS(K).

Afghanistan — the graveyard of peace processes

Afghanistan offers the most glaring example of how ISI’s covert operations have sabotaged international peace efforts. Since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, global and regional powers have invested enormous resources in stabilising Afghanistan. High-profile initiatives such as the Bonn Agreement (2001), the London Conference (2006), the Kabul Process (2010–2012), and the Doha Talks (2018–2021) were designed to foster Afghan-led reconciliation and end decades of conflict.

However, each of these processes was systematically undermined by the ISI’s continued support for the Taliban and affiliated groups. Despite Pakistan’s public commitments to peace, its territory remained a safe haven for Taliban leadership councils, training camps, and logistical bases.

Taliban commanders have acknowledged that the ISI provides not only sanctuary but also strategic guidance, funding, and operational intelligence.

The 2020 US-Taliban ‘Doha Deal’ is a case in point. While the agreement was hailed as a breakthrough, it was compromised by the ISI’s parallel agenda. The deal secured a US withdrawal in exchange for vague Taliban assurances on counter-terrorism, but it neither compelled Pakistan to dismantle its proxy infrastructure nor addressed the root cause of Afghanistan’s instability.

Instead, ISI-facilitated Taliban units used the breathing space to regroup, rearm, and launch a final offensive that led to the collapse of the Afghan government in August 2021. The release of over 5,000 Taliban prisoners—many with direct ties to ISI—further strengthened the insurgency, and rendered years of international peacebuilding efforts moot.

Haqqani Network: ISI’s ‘Sword Arm’ in Afghanistan

The Haqqani Network, described by former US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen as a “veritable arm of Pakistan’s ISI”, has been responsible for some of the most devastating attacks in Afghanistan, including the 2011 siege of the US Embassy in Kabul. US and NATO intelligence have repeatedly traced funding, weapons, and operational orders for Haqqani attacks directly to ISI handlers. Despite being designated as a terrorist organisation, the Haqqani Network has operated with impunity from Pakistani territory.

International attempts to sanction or isolate it have been consistently frustrated by Pakistan’s duplicity. While Islamabad has occasionally arrested low-level operatives to placate Western donors, the core leadership remains untouched, and the network’s operational capacity remains undiminished. This pattern of selective co-operation and covert protection has allowed the ISI to maintain plausible deniability while ensuring that its proxies remain a potent force for regional destabilisation.

ISI’s playbook of sabotage

Throughout South Asia, the ISI has undermined peace initiatives by orchestrating high-profile terrorist attacks at moments of diplomatic progress. The 2008 Mumbai attacks, for example, occurred at a time of improving India-Pakistan ties.

Investigations by multiple agencies established that the attackers were trained, funded, and directed by LeT with the active involvement of serving ISI officers. Similarly, ceasefire agreements along the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir have been repeatedly violated by ISI-backed infiltrations and cross-border terrorism. The agency’s support for groups like JeM and Hizbul Mujahideen ensures a steady supply of terrorists capable of launching attacks that sabotage diplomatic engagement and perpetuate conflict.

ISI’s expanding reach

The ISI’s networks have been implicated in terrorist plots in Europe, North America, and West Asia. The agency’s ability to provide a safe haven, training, and logistical support to global jihadist groups poses a direct threat to international security.

The United Nations Security Council, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and numerous national governments have called on Pakistan to dismantle these networks. Yet, every attempt to hold Islamabad accountable has been met with denial, obfuscation, and token gestures that fall short of genuine action. The ISI’s internal power struggles and radicalised leadership further complicate international efforts.

Lessons and implications

The repeated failure of global peace efforts in South Asia is not a result of inadequate diplomacy or insufficient resources. It is the consequence of the ISI’s deliberate strategy of destabilisation. As long as the agency retains its power to nurture proxies, sabotage negotiations, and manipulate regional politics, no diplomatic initiative can hope to succeed.

The world must recognise that sustainable peace in South Asia requires more than periodic talks or temporary ceasefires. It demands a concerted effort to dismantle the infrastructure of State-sponsored terrorism and hold those responsible to account. This includes targeted sanctions against ISI officials, robust financial action against front organisations, and sustained diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to end its policy of using terrorism as an instrument of statecraft.

Last Word

Until the international community addresses the root cause — Pakistan’s deliberate use of terrorism as a tool of foreign policy — peace will remain elusive. The world must move beyond rhetoric and take decisive action to counter the ISI’s destabilisation agenda.

Lieutenant General Dushyant Singh (Retd) is Director General, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.