Qurat-UL-Ain Shabbir
The recent clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan has again demonstrated how the border between the two countries is volatile, mistrustful, and one of the most vulnerable regions in South Asia. Despite the trilateral talks between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China this year, the latest one being held at the end of August, the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are once again in crisis. The airstrikes of Pakistan in response to the attacks of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in the vicinity of Kabul, along with the ensuing war of words, indicate that the region is caught in a vicious cycle of militarization and diplomatic stalemate.
Terrorist attacks by TTP and their safe havens in Afghanistan are the primary sources of the military conflict and the current diplomatic rift. Having been established in 2007 in the context of the so-called war on terror, the TTP is still ideologically linked to the Afghan Taliban. It tries to impose an extreme vision of Islamic law, and it has long been insisting that the merging of its tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be reversed. Pakistan has been adamant that TTP fighters are using the Afghan territory to carry out terrorist activities inside the country, taking advantage of the uncontrollable areas and the ambivalence of Kabul. Taliban government, however, dismisses these claims, with the government of Islamabad being urged not to make provocative utterances. Such denial and inaction by the Afghan Government have virtually frozen substantial diplomatic engagement.
The most recent wave of violence seems to have been instigated by an upsurge in the number of attacks on Pakistani soldiers. These well-organized and fatal attacks have been directed at the military posts along the frontier. Islamabad’s retaliation, albeit unofficially, indicates its frustration since it believes that Kabul neither has the intent nor the ability to contain TTP. The retaliatory attacks by Pakistan were conducted when the Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was on an official visit to India. Some analysts believe that this visit has prompted Pakistan to take a firm decision to intensify its military activities. The timing is significant since Pakistan has made it clear that it will not take diplomatic optics lightly, which may imply that Kabul is inclining towards New Delhi and neglecting the security requirements of Islamabad.
The close political affiliations between the two Taliban groups speak volumes about Kabul’s reluctance to take a stand against its Pakistani equivalent. Any decisive move against the TTP would destroy the cohesion and internal unity of the Afghan Taliban.
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