Pakistan is a country for which the idiom “jack of all trades and master of none” applies beautifully, as it is a third-world country struggling with political instability and domestic corruption within the system. It is not to be toyed with, as it is a nuclear-weapon state and is always the center of attention, whether it is in the Israel-Iran conflict 2025, in which an Iranian parliament member chanted “PAKISTAN ZINDABAD,” encompassing in a nutshell that Pakistan is standing with us militarily and supporting us in our attack against Israel.

Parachinar conflict arises every two years, demanding military deployment and tribal ceasefires.

Whereas Pakistan openly stated it stood with Iran in its cause, accommodating the Islamic fraternity and providing humanitarian support against the genocide committed by Israel in Palestine, but not providing them with any military support, or the accusation of killing civilians in Pahalgam, India, whereas Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack in India.

Pakistan is a nation always in the spotlight, and it tries its best to stay away from it; however, it is dragged into it one way or another, mostly by India. Even in the 2025 India-Pakistan war, we can assess that India started the war without any evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in it, although the war ended the same day Pakistan retaliated in self-defense.

India is constantly embedding spies and incorporating terrorism in the region of Balochistan, and Pakistan is effectively fighting against terrorism there and trying its best to capture the spies like the RAW agent Kulbhushan Yadav that Pakistan’s military agency caught, in which he openly revealed himself to be an agent and admitted to providing funds in Balochistan to incorporate terrorism in Pakistan.

However, the bigger picture lies in Parachinar, which tends to start a civil war not only in Pakistan but also completely ruin Pakistan’s relations with Iran. It is an intra-state security issue for Pakistan. Parachinar is a region in the Kurram district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which is bordered on three sides by Afghanistan, and it is geographically like a parrot’s beak into Afghanistan.

It tends to start a civil war not only in Pakistan but also ruin relations with Iran.

The Parachinar conflict found its roots in early 2007, when a mere conflict between two families over a land dispute drastically turned into a sectarian violence episode between Shia and Sunni Muslims, as the people belonging to both communities got support from their tribes and converted the land dispute into a sectarian hate channel, killing innocent civilians from both sides.

This conflict was the foundation stone of the sectarian killings and crimes in the country, and to this day, as of 2025, every two years, the Parachinar conflict arises, and the government has to deploy military forces in this region. Jirgas and tribes sit together from both sides to come to a conclusion and a ceasefire.

However, as the ceasefire is a temporary measure, it just needs instigation from either side, and it leads to a complete shutdown of everything in Parachinar, whether it be roads, shops, or hospitals. This leads to a curfew situation, which has been implemented in this region several times before and completely disrupts the peace, not only in this region but also threatens the stability of the nation, as it directly connects with Afghanistan.

It can have severe repercussions for Iran-Pakistan relations, as Iran is a country populated with a majority of Shia Muslims and presents itself as the protector of all Shia Muslims around the globe. Therefore, there would be a lot of pressure on Pakistan to ease the situation and de-escalate it quickly, or Iran might take serious steps to isolate its relationship with Pakistan.

Cross-border proxy conflicts might potentially start, which will further deteriorate Pakistan’s stability and national security. Iran could potentially stop all sorts of trade with Pakistan and form an alliance with India, and create a trade partnership involving Afghanistan, which will cause another headache for Pakistan. Iran might also believe that Pakistan is siding with Saudi Arabia in this matter by defending Sunni Muslims and neglecting Shia Muslims, which might lead to the complete breakdown of Iran-Pakistan relations.

These terrorist organizations are the remnants of the Afghan War, operating with foreign funds.

Pakistani security agencies can play a significant role in monitoring the region regarding sectarian hatred and terrorism. Preemptive attacks should be carried out against the non-state actors. These terrorist organizations are the remnants of the Afghan War. As Parachinar and its surrounding areas are geostrategically located near the Afghan border, they are used as hubs for Mujahideen.

After the Afghan War, just like marijuana, opium, heroin, and terrorism seeped into Pakistan, these terrorist organizations were not dismantled properly and began operating on their own, taking in funds from anti-state nations and acting as non-state actors and proxy groups, inducing sectarian violence in this region.

The recurring Parachinar conflict every two years shows the negligence of security organizations. Intelligence agencies should have a strong connection with the locals of the region, having first-hand knowledge of everything happening. These agencies could play a positive role by conducting preemptive attacks on all extremist terrorist groups. By promoting inter-sectarian dialogues within the community, sustainable peace in the region could be achieved. These agencies should have their monitoring system spread like a spider’s web, and can also use drone surveillance to have real-time updates and data on the region’s stability and movement of terrorist organizations. By adopting such measures, we hope that the security agencies will have a vigilant eye over the region. Otherwise, it is a trump card in the hands of the enemies of the state to ignite civil war in Pakistan through sectarian violence.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.