Is Pakistan hiring Afghan mercenaries to fight Baloch rebels? What new reports say

Pakistan is seeking to position itself as a mediator between warring Iran and the US while expanding its strategic role in West Asia through a new mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. Yet, at home, Pakistan’s internal security is coming under severe strain amid a rapid surge in violence in two of its most restive provinces — Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Adding to the crisis are reports that Pakistani security agencies are recruiting Afghan mercenaries to bolster counter-militancy operations in Balochistan, the country’s southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.