Senior leaders of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) recently held an operational coordination meeting in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, where plans were discussed to intensify militant activities in Balochistan, according to security sources.
Sources told Balochistan Pulse that BLA chief Bashir Zeb, TTP commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur and an AQIS commander based in Afghanistan participated in the meeting. The participants allegedly discussed expanding cooperation, pooling resources and increasing attacks in both the Pashtun and Baloch regions of the province.
According to the sources, Gul Bahadur’s group and AQIS pledged manpower, weapons and financial support for future operations. The meeting also reportedly decided that newly recruited BLA militants would receive training at AQIS-linked Al-Farooq training centres operating inside Afghanistan.
Security officials further alleged that a Chinese Uyghur identified as Sakhi Muhammad Saleh was tasked with gathering information on commercial companies and development projects operating in Balochistan.
The sources claimed the discussions reflected growing cooperation among militant groups operating from Afghan territory and a broader effort to coordinate resources for attacks inside Pakistan.
DG ISPR Had Referenced Similar Kandahar Meeting
The intelligence claims surfaced days after Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry publicly referred to what he described as a meeting held in Kandahar on August 26.
Speaking during a press conference on October 1, the military spokesperson questioned, “What was the meeting held under Kandahar Governor Mullah Shireen in which Al-Qaeda, Bashir Zeb, Gul Bahadur and Afghan Taliban representatives participated?”
Responding to a question regarding rising militant attacks originating from Afghanistan, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif said various militant organisations were attempting to combine their capabilities after failing to achieve their objectives independently.
“These groups are coordinating how to merge their strengths because they have failed badly while operating separately,” he said.
The DG ISPR further stated that Pakistan would independently determine its response regarding the Afghan Taliban government and cross-border security threats.
Analyst Sees Growing BLA-TTP Coordination
Security analyst Ahmad Hassan Aarbi said signs of operational cooperation between the BLA and TTP began emerging in 2025 and have become increasingly visible in recent months.
According to Aarbi, Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) facilitated contacts between the BLA, TTP and other militant organisations operating from Afghan territory. He claimed these efforts gradually evolved into broader logistical, financial and operational cooperation.
“Prior to this, BLA largely operated through Afghan-based camps in Baloch areas. However, coordination between various militant groups has expanded significantly over the past two years,” Aarbi said.
The analyst alleged that these links included the provision of trained militants, logistical assistance and joint planning for high-profile attacks.
He further claimed that Afghan intelligence officials and foreign actors played a role in facilitating meetings between militant leaders to secure funding and operational support.
Series of Meetings Allegedly Held in Kandahar
According to Aarbi, one of the key coordination meetings allegedly took place on May 26, 2026, when Kandahar Governor Mullah Shireen met representatives of AQIS and the Gul Bahadur faction of TTP.
He claimed the participants were asked to support future BLA operations inside Pakistan.
The analyst further alleged that three additional meetings were arranged in July 2026. According to his account, Afghan intelligence officials assured support for BLA activities, while another meeting at a TTP compound in Kandahar reportedly involved discussions on financing and coordination of attacks in Balochistan.
Aarbi also claimed that a separate meeting involving Afghan intelligence officials and India’s external intelligence agency RAW was held outside Afghanistan, where plans for coordinated militant activities in Balochistan were allegedly discussed.
He alleged that financial commitments running into millions of dollars were discussed during these meetings. These claims could not be independently verified.
Taliban Intelligence Concerned Over Direct RAW Contact With Militants: Sources
Meanwhile, security sources claimed that Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Intelligence has become increasingly concerned over what it believes is direct communication between India’s intelligence agency RAW and militant groups including the BLA and TTP.
According to the sources, Afghan intelligence officials have sought to position themselves as intermediaries between the militant groups and foreign handlers, reflecting growing competition over influence and operational control.
These claims have not been independently verified.
Who Is Haji Mullah Shireen?
Haji Mullah Shireen Akhund is one of the Taliban’s most influential figures and currently serves as Governor of Kandahar.
According to the Washington-based Middle East Institute’s Taliban Tracker, he has held the position since 2023 and also serves as Deputy Minister for Intelligence in Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence.
Regional research organisations describe him as a member of the Taliban leadership council who has occupied key military and intelligence positions within the movement.
Mullah Shireen is widely known as a longtime associate of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar and reportedly served in his personal security detail following the collapse of the Taliban government in 2001.
In January 2024, he led an Afghan delegation to Islamabad for the sixth meeting of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Coordination Committee, where officials discussed border security and bilateral cooperation.
Security Concerns Persist
The allegations regarding growing coordination among the BLA, TTP and AQIS come amid continued militant violence in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused militant groups of using Afghan territory to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban government has consistently denied these allegations and maintains that Afghan soil is not being used against any neighbouring country according to the Doha agreement.
