There are no Taleban in Pakistan but few aged mujahedeen still living in the tribal areas since the 80s when they fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan at the behest of Americans. Oh no! There are no Punjabi Taleban, it’s an attempt to give this conflict an ethnic color; why Taleban would settle in Karachi, its topography doesn’t suit their temperament; how come there could be a Quetta Shoura, Quetta is an open city, not in the tribal belt; no, there are no Haqqanis in North Waziristan, it’s an Afghan tribe; Mangal Bagh and Hafiz Gul Bahadar are our allies, they never create trouble for us — it has been more than a decade we are being offered these explanations.

Then what is the use of the ongoing debate regarding the presence of Islamic State in Pakistan? Regardless of the graffiti appearing in major metropolises and allegiance announced by different splinter Taleban groups to the self-ascribed IS, my question is that in the presence of so many peace loving hate-filled sectarian militant-cum-terrorist groups, do we need IS as well?

We never miss a day, which doesn’t push the state closer to failure.