In this episode, Europe-based human rights analyst Michael Arizanti (@ColdBrief) examines one of South Asia’s most enduring and uncomfortable contradictions: Pakistan’s persistent habit of blaming foreign adversaries for a crisis rooted at home.Using the February 6, 2026 suicide bombing at Islamabad’s Khadija-tul-Kubra mosque as a starting point, the discussion traces how decades of treating militant groups as instruments of state policy have steadily eroded Pakistan’s internal security. From the early use of irregular militias in Kashmir to the long-standing patronage of UN-designated terrorist organizations, Arizanti argues that today’s violence is not an external imposition but the predictable result of strategic choices made over generations.The episode also explores recent developments that have sharpened international scrutiny, including the public Jaish-e-Mohammed rally in Rawalakot, allegations of continued state tolerance toward extremist networks, and the growing backlash from within Pakistan itself. A viral confrontation between a Shia cleric and army officers underscores a deeper social rupture, as communities once expected to remain silent now openly accuse the state of nurturing the very ideologies that threaten them.As Islamabad once again gestures toward India, Afghanistan, or distant conspiracies to explain away terrorism, this conversation asks a harder question: what happens when the “foreign hand” narrative no longer convinces either the world—or Pakistan’s own citizens?A sobering analysis of militancy, denial, and the high cost of strategic illusions.