Pakistan, May 15 -- At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's security councils' meeting, Russia's Sergei Shoigu put hard numbers to what Pakistan has been saying for years: Afghanistan has once again become a dangerous sanctuary. His warning was blunt. Between 18,000 and 23,000 militants from more than 20 outfits are operating inside Afghanistan. Around 3,000 belong to Islamic State. Foreign fighters, including Uyghur, Tajik and Uzbek militants, have reportedly slipped in from Syria. Last year alone, the Islamic State carried out 12 major attacks, killing 40 soldiers and 25 civilians.

For Pakistan, these numbers carry the smell of burnt police posts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the sound of funeral prayers in Bannu and Lakki Marwat, and the ...