Pakistan and Afghanistan are two neighboring countries with a history of strained relations at the national level. Several conflicts at the national level have sown seeds of distrust and animosity between the two countries and their peoples, leading to a challenging history.
These conflicts have not only affected relations between the two nations and their governments but have permeated from governmental actions to the public sphere, creating an environment that has fueled insurgency and attacks, particularly emanating from Afghanistan into Pakistan.
Despite historical expressions of resentment due to Afghan sides, Pakistan has consistently viewed Afghanistan with a brotherly perspective. The people of Pakistan also exhibit a strong affinity for Afghans. Unfortunately, Pakistan has faced feelings of disdain, hatred, and enmity from the Afghan side consistently.
Currently, Afghanistan is under the rule of the Taliban for two years. With the return of the Taliban to Afghanistan, there was hope that conflicts, tensions, hostilities, and terrorism on the border would come to an end. It was expected that both countries would prioritize cooperation in security and peace over expending their energy, power, and money on military and security issues. However, unfortunately, this did not happen. After the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, new elements emerged among anti-Pakistan groups, showing increased freedom and a sense of security, directing their activities from Afghanistan to Pakistan.
Observers have noted an increase in terrorist activities in Pakistan following the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan. Over the past two years, Afghan-based terrorist activities have targeted multiple military and non-military objectives throughout the country. However, in recent days, the loss suffered by Pakistani forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been unprecedented in the last two years.
Despite such incidents, Pakistan has consistently protested against the Taliban government and, before that, similar events, providing evidence and drawing attention to its role as a responsible state according to international laws, principles, and ethics. Unfortunately, the current situation indicates that Pakistan’s concerns are being ignored, and there is no attention given to addressing Pakistan’s apprehensions, which is extremely regrettable.
It is a peculiar situation that the Taliban government denies the involvement of Afghan elements in the terrorist activities in Pakistan, which was the modus operandi of the Ashraf Ghani and Karzai “republican” administrations. This ongoing impact in Pakistan indicates that the Taliban government is playing a double game, utilizing terrorist groups against Pakistan as a tool of blackmail. In this matter, the role of the current Afghan government is not significantly different from the past American-backed Afghan administration.
Every time Pakistan raises objections and complaints, the Taliban government, instead of acknowledging responsibility, deflects blame, saying that the security of Pakistan is not their concern. The people of Pakistan perceive this expression as non-serious, non-committal, and irresponsible. Pakistan is not demanding its security; it is demanding that the terrorism originating from Afghan territory be regulated. The roots of terrorism in Pakistan are connected to incidents in Afghanistan, and it is undoubtedly the responsibility of the Afghan administration to control them.
Pakistanis have the right to question: What justification is there for these attacks on its soil?. We understand that there is no justification for considering these events lightly. On the contrary, these incidents continue to create a hostile environment of war between two neighboring Muslim countries, leading to the senseless killing of innocent Muslims. Ending this violence is a moral and humanitarian imperative.
