Written by: Qasim Ibrahimi
Pakistan has established a structure in the region for the production, purchase, and sale of weapons that is not merely viewed as an ordinary market, but rather as a systematic, sustainable, and effective system under military regime supervision for supplying regional insecurity and proxy groups. The Dara Adam Khel region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is considered the main hub of this system, where weapons are not only produced but also freely exchanged and transported to various factions in the region.
When a geography has the raw materials for weapon production, repair, technical skills, and sales, this region is considered a weapons supply center. In the Adam Khel Valley, the aforementioned activities are practically carried out; accordingly, all the proxy groups involved in the instability of the regional countries are freely supplied and meet their needs from this area, without relying on long and dangerous smuggling routes.
According to the principle of supply and demand; supply is created when demand exists. In the region, the demand for weapons is high due to ongoing insecurity, wars, and the training and maintenance of proxy groups, and the Dara Adam Khel area directly meets this demand. This is not just an economic calculation, but a continuous and dangerous game of destabilizing the region and supplying and maintaining proxy groups.
If we assumed that the American weapons left in Afghanistan are a threat to the region, then are the existing illegal active markets for weapon production in Pakistan not a threat to the region? While the remaining American weapons in Afghanistan are used by a responsible government for the purpose of maintaining Afghanistan’s security and are no longer being produced, the weapons produced in Pakistan are not only a threat to Afghanistan but have also posed a serious risk to regional security, and their production continues systematically.
The ease of access to weapons is the most important discussion; whenever weapons can be openly and cheaply obtained in the free market under government oversight, this market and region become the easiest choice for any armed groups. This situation causes even small and unorganized groups to easily equip themselves.
If we evaluate the economic condition of the ISIS group, they have faced severe economic problems in recent years and their economic resources have diminished. However, despite this, they maintain an active presence in Pakistan, particularly in the Mastung region. The main reason is that although they face economic problems, they acquire their equipment at a low cost in Pakistan or receive it for free, and thru this equipment, they pose a serious threat to the security of Afghanistan and the neighboring countries.
Pakistan has long been engaged in training and supplying proxy groups like ISIS to destabilize the region’s security. The logic of the proxy groups’ operations necessitates that they must have quick, sustainable, and low-risk supply sources; the Dara Adam Khel area meets all three conditions of quick access, sustainable supply, and low risk. So it is natural that ISIS and other proxy groups obtain weapons from here.
If a government truly wants to shut down the illegal arms production markets, it can do so very easily. The continuous activity in Darra Adam Khel indicates that this market is used by the Pakistani military regime for its strategic objectives and continuously threatens the neighboring countries.
From a security perspective, the free arms production market has the capacity to export insecurity. The weapons from the Darra Adam Khel market do not remain only in Pakistan, but are smuggled in all directions; therefore, the issue of this market’s activity is not just a local matter with risks limited to one area, but is considered a primary source of regional danger.
According to evidence, in the mentioned market, under the supervision of the Pakistani military regime, not only are local and weak weapons produced, but advanced weapon models are also found. This means that this market is familiar with international dangerous weapon models and can produce similar weapons, which in itself increases the level of illegal weapon production in the region and is considered a major threat to Central Asia, including Afghanistan.
In conclusion, it can be said that Darra Adam Khel is a center for arms production that brings continuous insecurity to the region. As long as such markets exist, there will never be a shortage in supplying proxy groups, and the entire region will continuously face threats.
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