For decades, Pakistan has stood by Afghanistan, often at the cost of its own internal stability and international standing. From providing refuge to millions of Afghans during times of war, to lobbying on the global stage for the recognition of Taliban-led Kabul, Islamabad has consistently played the role of a regional benefactor. And yet, the return on this political and humanitarian investment has been dangerously disappointing.
Today, the Afghan Taliban’s continued patronage of anti-Pakistan militant groups, most notably the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has emerged as the single most destabilising factor for Pakistan’s internal security. Despite repeated appeals, evidence, and even regional consensus, the Taliban leadership remains either in denial or deliberately complicit, refusing to acknowledge the presence of safe havens for TTP and other terrorist factions on Afghan soil.
A Repeating Pattern of Betrayal
Pakistan’s relationship with Afghanistan has always been marked by alternating phases of optimism and betrayal. But the current moment is particularly stark. The presence of TTP leadership and cadres inside Afghanistan is no longer a matter of speculation, it’s an established fact, underscored by credible intelligence, field operations, and even statements from the militants themselves.
Whenever Pakistani forces conduct counterterrorism operations along the border or strike militant hideouts in Afghanistan, the Afghan Taliban’s reaction is revealing. Rather than acknowledging the problem, they accuse Pakistan of targeting women and children. Meanwhile, news routinely emerges from within Afghanistan of TTP executing its own commanders for suspected links to Pakistani intelligence, confirming that not only do these groups exist inside Afghanistan, but they are also operating with impunity.
This duplicity is not just Pakistan’s concern. Regional players like Russia, China, and Iran; with the former formally recognising the Taliban as a government, have publicly raised alarms about the presence of thousands of foreign terrorists on Afghan territory. Moscow’s warning about “23,000 terrorists” operating inside Afghanistan should have been a wake-up call. Unfortunately, it seems to have fallen on deaf ears in Kabul.
Global Forums, Zero Accountability
The recent Moscow Format meeting, which, for the first time, included Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, was another opportunity to confront the Taliban with regional concerns. And yet, like every other international engagement before it, the summit yielded nothing concrete.
It raises critical questions: If Pakistan alone was fabricating concerns, why would Russia, Iran, and China echo the same warnings? If Kabul truly believes in building regional peace, why the continued reluctance to dismantle militant infrastructure within its borders?
The fact that the UN even granted travel waivers to Muttaqi, allowing him to attend international conferences while his government harbours groups like TTP and Al-Qaeda, signals a broader failure of the global order. It appears that the international community is more interested in optics than outcomes.
India’s Growing Footprint, and Its Implications
Amid this backdrop, the growing proximity between India and the Taliban regime adds another layer of concern. India, a country credibly accused by Canada and the United States of orchestrating extrajudicial killings on foreign soil, is now actively courting the Taliban. Delegations are being exchanged, economic ties are being discussed, and political optics are shifting.
From a Pakistani perspective, this is not just diplomatically offensive, it’s strategically alarming.
We have seen how India has exploited every regional conflict to undermine Pakistan, especially through proxy warfare in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. If the Taliban now allow Indian influence to grow within Afghanistan, the risks for Pakistan multiply exponentially.
It is naïve to assume that India’s embrace of Kabul is rooted in humanitarian concern. The reality is darker, a united front between a terror-sponsoring regime and a terror-harbouring state could destabilise not just Pakistan but the entire region.
Tribal Resistance and the Fight Within
Amid these complex geopolitics, the people bearing the brunt of insecurity are Pakistan’s tribal communities, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the border regions. In places like Bannu and Waziristan, local populations have been left to defend themselves. Makeshift peacekeeping forces have emerged, and villagers are arming themselves, not out of choice, but necessity.
In many areas, police and local law enforcement are fighting on the front lines, often without adequate resources or backup. Militants target police stations, ambush officers, and use advanced technology, including drones and social media, to coordinate attacks and spread fear.
Tribal elders have even issued ultimatums to militants to vacate certain areas by set deadlines, a powerful, yet deeply troubling, sign of the state’s limited presence in these conflict zones.
This is no longer just a military conflict, it is a battle of perceptions, of narratives, and of survival.
The Human Cost of Insecurity
Frequent road closures, curfews, and lockdowns in sensitive districts are crippling civilian life. Children can’t attend school, medical emergencies go unaddressed, businesses remain shuttered, and entire populations are left cut off. In places like Kurram and Mir Ali, people live in fear, confined to their homes after dark.
The disparity is glaring: While life goes on in cities like Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad, residents of the borderlands are left to navigate a war zone. It’s no surprise, then, that many feel alienated, unheard, and increasingly vulnerable to militant propaganda.
The government must urgently bridge this gap, not just with words, but with action, resources, and respect.
Looking Ahead: A Shared Future or a Shattered One?
Pakistan and Afghanistan share more than a border, they share history, ethnicity, culture, and fate. If peace is achieved in one, the other will flourish. If conflict persists in one, the other will bleed. This reality must drive future policies on both sides.
Afghanistan is a sovereign state, free to establish relations with any country. But with sovereignty comes responsibility. The Afghan Taliban must realise that harbouring anti-Pakistan elements not only isolates them globally but threatens the very fabric of regional security.
On Pakistan’s part, there must be clarity, not confusion, firm red lines, not flexible expectations.
The region is rich in resources, heritage, and opportunity. But without mutual trust and meaningful action, it will remain hostage to proxy wars, extremism, and external manipulation.
The choice now rests with Kabul: Will it continue playing a dangerous double game, or will it finally choose peace over proxy, and neighbours over narratives?
The clock is ticking, for Afghanistan, for Pakistan, and for regional stability.
