Lethal partners

Murdered for dancing

SECURITY officials in Pakistan used to insist the country was immune to the threat of Islamic State (IS). Doctrinal differences, they said, would stop Pakistanis falling under the sway of the Syria-based militant group, which has demanded the fealty of the world’s Muslims ever since its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared himself “caliph” in 2014. But IS’s presence in Pakistan can no longer be denied. The group appears to be responsible for two atrocities in recent weeks.

On November 12th IS dispatched a suicide-bomber to the Shah Noorani shrine in a remote area of Balochistan province. The blast took the lives of more than 50 people who had come from far and wide to watch its Sufi mystics dance. Just over two weeks earlier, three IS gunmen had stormed a police training centre on the outskirts of the provincial capital, Quetta, killing 61. IS’s media arm released photographs of the attackers in both incidents, giving credence to its claims of responsibility.

IS considers Afghanistan and Pakistan to be part of its province of Khorasan—an ancient name for the region. It is...Continue reading

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