Ms. Dilawaiz Tabessum, Lead Research Coordinator at South Asia Times, opened the session by framing

militancy as a transnational and adaptive phenomenon rather than a localized security challenge. She

emphasized that the objective of the discussion was to analyze structural drivers, evolving target

selection, and regional implications through a policy-focused lens.

Mr. Hassan Khan, senior journalist and former Director of News and Current Affairs at Khyber TV,

examined the concept of spillover states through the Afghan experience. He highlighted the presence of

multiple terrorist syndicates operating from Afghan territory, many of which are oriented toward Pakistan

and neighboring states. Mr. Khan stressed that governance vacuums, weak institutional control, and

permissive environments have facilitated militant mobility and diversification. He also underscored the

deteriorating security situation in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, noting that the absence of effective

administrative, judicial, and policing reforms has created exploitable vacuums.

Addressing shifting target profiles, Mr. Khan argued that increased attacks on civilians and infrastructure

reflect militant adaptation under intensified counterterrorism pressure. He noted that proactive security

operations have forced militant groups to expand target selection in order to retain relevance and disrupt

state authority. On regional responses, he observed a lack of coordinated pressure on Afghanistan,

cautioning that unilateral measures without regional alignment risk limited effectiveness.

Dr. Khuram Iqbal, Associate Professor at Quaid-e-Azam University and former Head of the Department of

International Relations at the National Defense University, provided a structured assessment of

transformations in Pakistan’s militant landscape. He identified shifts in tactics, geography, and

organizational capacity, highlighting increased civilian targeting by Baloch militant groups and the

movement of militancy from former tribal areas to southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Dr. Iqbal emphasized the reduced operational capacity of Islamic State Khorasan Province due to

sustained intelligence-based operations, while cautioning against interpreting isolated attacks as strategic

resurgence. He identified two primary drivers of militancy: the continued presence of militant sanctuaries

in Afghanistan and political discord between federal and provincial authorities in Pakistan. He stressed

that counterterrorism effectiveness depends on political clarity and unified threat perception.

In discussing recruitment and traveling militancy, Dr. Iqbal argued that economic collapse, governance

failure, and survival incentives now play a role comparable to ideology. He noted that militant

externalization of internal governance failures has become a tool for maintaining cohesion and deflecting

accountability