AI-Driven Terror and Its Implications for Quetta

In an era of AI-Driven Militancy, can internet blackouts really be a reliable kind of tool against terrorism now? AI was being increasingly weaponized by militants in order to spread disinformation more quickly than ever before. Consequently, officials cut internet access in Quetta, an action that postpones danger briefly but mainly penalizes the public rather than insurgents. Terrorists used AI in order to spread disinformation. Thus, the governments must surely also evolve now. One reliable strategy is unlike complete digital darkness.

Digital platforms have transformed communication, and accelerated the transformation of society in a hyper connected world. However, this very connectivity has allowed disinformation to greatly proliferate. The public discourse has additionally strengthened as a result of it too. Artificial intelligence (AI) has turned into being a transformative source as a response for dealing with these growing complexities. Complex global issues are addressed with it, with human well-being and welfare being improved by its recent rapid advancements.

Additionally, AI increasingly applies itself to counter terrorism efforts as well as National security. Pakistan is a context in which national security as well as state stability have been consistently weakened by terrorism. Adaptive threats are confronted through AI’s use of it in providing a critical advantage. This represents a broader shift of calculation. Now, policymakers address the complex security dynamics.

While AI offers meaningful benefits, the spread and innovation of propaganda are also eased. Facts become twisted as well as propaganda is widely spread by means of outdated visuals. AI generates misleading content, and terrorist groups are now using some of it. The shift to AI tools by militants, who have exploited technology for a long time, signals a worrying stage of propaganda warfare.

With the accessibility of AI tools, violent non state actors introduces new layers of complexity and risk to global security dynamics. To add, AI is emerging as a tool of asymmetrical warfare, when these groups exploit technological gaps to gain strategic advantage. Generative AI can be weaponized to forge images, fuel misinformation, and spread propaganda through platform like WhatsApp, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook and similar social media tools.

This pattern was evident in the aftermath of the Jaffar Express hijacking on March 2025. The militant groups used social media to spread misleading content. Branded with their logo a 1:23 minute video, showing a train explosion in a remote mountainous region was widely distributed on various social media platforms. Yet upon verification, subsequent fact-checking confirmed the video was originally uploaded in April 2022 and was unrelated to the current event. In addition, the group circulated fabricated threats of upcoming attacks, fueling paranoia and distrust.

In addition to the earlier case, another fabricated propaganda video surfaced in the wake of Jaffar Express hijacking. Another video which depicted a massive fire, was circulated on social media with false claims that it showed the Jaffar Express attack carried out by affiliated insurgents. In reality, the footage depicted a blaze near  Karachi’s Mir Chakar on March 10, 2025. This confirmed that the video was unrelated to the train hijacking incident, which occurred on March

To make matters worse, the Indian media seized the opportunity to amplify the fake content, to project negative narrative of Pakistan internationally. The disinformation campaign was calculated, deliberate acts of digital warfare, designed to disrupt narratives and manipulate public perception. In response, the government of Pakistan enforced unannounced shutdown of internet services in Quetta and surrounding areas of Balochistan during March and April 2025. However, neither the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) nor local officials released any formal statement on the shutdowns.

Internet blackouts are a 20^th century solutions to a 21^st century problems

Pakistan’s digital censorship has expanded in recent years, from mobile service suspension in Quetta during Muharram to Nationwide internet blackouts during elections and national events.  According to the digital right organization, between 2022 and 2023 Pakistan restricted internet for 694 days.  Alarmingly, patterns from 2024 and 2025 suggests a growing normalization of internet shutdowns as a tool for state control.

While these blackouts are quite often justified under the pretext of national security, and also curbing extremist propaganda. Their consequences do extend far beyond that of their stated purpose. Notably for people linked to e-commerce and, online education throughout today’s digital era. Even with its security rationale, the internet’s suspension still legitimately concerns civic society.

Another blackout engulfs Quetta, we must ask if these internet suspension truly proactive security measures, or reactive acts of suspension?

To address these challenges, Pakistan must go past reactive censorship instead, to address these issues, and put into place a clear AI system under independent watch. Initiatives of a relatively low cost, such as real time alerts or verified information platforms, can aid in countering misinformation, without any principles of democracy being compromised. It is time that we put a stop to total suspension and protect digital rights in a legal manner.

Propaganda warfare is dominant at this moment in time, with misinformation spreading rapidly. The Jaffar Express incident showed the manner in which propaganda now dictates the nature of battles. Today, front lines are no longer geographical but digital. In such a context, counterterrorism requires the policymaking process to be one that is considerate of both civil liberties and the national security.