Unfortunately, as seen from recent attacks, they are suicide attacks. And any man or woman prepared to die in an attack is a dangerous adversary. Irrespective of the fact that there is relative less damage in recent past (I refer to airport and naval base attacks) save for the dastardly one at the Army School a few days back, the fact remains that the increased tendency to employ suicide bombers is something that PA and other SFs should work to tackle. It would help if there was a complete moratorium over employing jihadist irregulars inclusive of those employed as part of strategy in Kashmir. There is an increasing blurring of lines between controlled and uncontrolled terror groups with ISIS(ISIL) showing the spectacular success of organized religious intolerant non state actor prevailing in areas where opposing powers are playing games with religious sentiments.
The former unlikely as remote locations will not give a spectacular effect, the aim of these groups is to make a spectacular attack in order to have psychological impact - both on their perceived adversaries and the potential recruits. Latter is one high probability target inclusive of an emergency case being transferred (nobody really checks an emergency case who is being transferred/rushed to a hospital. But the more worrisome is the indication given by the Wagah Border incident. Reading it with the alleged attempt to commandeer a PN ship in order to ram(?) an IN ship, the situation is sensitive at best. It may be that the pressure exerted by the PA and PAF in ongoing operations may be forcing them to relive the same by trying to create a situation on the eastern border where in a potential (perceived) attack by a Pakistani armed forces asset (an aircraft/ship/boat/attack on Indian posts across International Border) may result in a confrontation with India thus forcing Pakistan to divert resources from west to east. This was one of the thought processes at least in some circles on our side when there was a surge in cross LoC firefights.
