The association that once thrived with Pakistan and Taliban has diminished into tension, mostly due to such wildfire after their return to power in Afghanistan-geographical proximity impacts the events in 2021. In fact, Pakistan also supported the Taliban in the 1990s, seeing them as stabilisers in Afghanistan, without keeping in mind the repercussions of the Taliban’s res-urge and the growing lines between it and Pakistan. Although the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is a terrorist organization based on Afghani soil, Pakistan still is continues to accuse Afghan Taliban of providing asylum to TTP adversaries, which has portrayed Pakistan still increasingly coming under security threats. The Afghan Taliban have differed, time and again, from taking significant action against TTP, which keeps hitting Pakistani civilians and security forces through deadly assaults.
The influence of the Taliban and the TTP on the army response of Pakistan has been by means of TTP finding a haven in Taliban-controlled regions. Cross-border attacks by the TTP into Pakistan violate its sovereignty, and diplomatic efforts have not succeeded over the entire area. Since diplomatic efforts are failing, Pakistan has taken up a position of military action in defence of national security and territorial integrity. The continuing TTP threat is compounded by the Taliban’s failure or reluctance to do something about it, thus compelling Pakistan to take a tough stand in protecting citizens and sovereignty despite the complicated relationship with the Taliban.
Pakistan: Requisite Reprisals against the Taliban to Secure Nation
The latest skirmishes bordering Pakistan and the Taliban yet again felled the long-standing differences between Pakistan and the Taliban. An outburst further down the Pakistan-Afghanistan border noticed an “unprovoked” attack on Pakistani outposts by the Taliban forces, which Pakistan’s army surprisingly countered, resulting in the slaying of more than 15 of the Taliban’s combatants. Even though the Taliban denied making any aggressive movements, the assault would have been explained by the fact that it was retaliation for Pakistani air strikes that killed 46 people including women and children, the truth behind this escalation is much thicker than such issues. The nexus here is an intricate mesh of historical and territorial grievances combined with the growing threats of cross-border terrorism specially associated with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Necessary Antagonism by Pakistan for Securing Preparation Against Taliban
Border skirmishes in recent times really show that there are deeper issues that underpin what should otherwise be a brief lapse of tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban. A flare-up along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border witnessed an ‘unprovoked’ attack by Taliban forces on Pakistani outposts, which Pakistan’s Army incredibly countered, claiming the lives of over 15 Taliban combatants. And although the Taliban denied carrying out such aggressive movements, the attack would have well fitted the claim of being in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes that reportedly killed 46 people, including women and children, the truth behind the upsurge is far deeper. It is a web comprising all of historical and territorial grievances and the mushrooming threat of cross-border terrorism, connected mostly with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Pakistan-Taliban Historical Relations Tensions
Pakistani-Afghan relations have been historically fraught with contention owing to feudatories, ethnic rifts, and differing political ideologies. The major point of contention has eternally been the so-called Durand Line-the 2,640 kilometers boundary line drawn by the British in 1893, which separated British India from Afghanistan. Upon its birth in 1947, Pakistan became the inheritor of the Durand Line. However, Afghanistan has never accepted that border as an international one. The dispute over the legitimacy of the boundary has kept two nations hurling threats at each other for decades.
Pakistan’s engagement with the Taliban has also been a cause against its fellow citizens. During the 1990s, Pakistan appeared on the Taliban movement owing to its perception of controlling the environment and establishing some friendly government-sympathizing neighbors, but this very support backfired later, because the Taliban refused to acknowledge the Durand Line and took the refuge of militants, which created legacy problems for them. After the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, those tensions exacerbated, and turning the nation towards ever-increasing attacks from the TTP-another group of terrorists which found safe haven in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan became familiar to Pakistan.
The threat posed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has essentially evoked military action in the country against the Taliban. It is also referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, which is an insurgent organization wanting to enforce a strict interpretation of Islamic law in Pakistan. The organization has since its formation in 2007 been responsible for a number of deadly attacks on Pakistani security forces, civilians, and institutions.
Pakistan has accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering and even aiding TTP militants, as the TTP finds sanctuary inside Afghanistan under the regime of the Taliban. The Afghan Taliban’s leadership has failed to act decisively to dismantle the networks of TTP that operate on Afghan soil. After the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2021, the TTP has performed a number of high-profile assaults like bomb blasts, assassinations, and the assaults on navy installations. The institute has started conducting cross-border raids from Afghanistan into Pakistan, straining already sensitive relations of the two countries. Pakistan repeatedly appealed to the Taliban to take countermeasures against the TTP, but no cooperation of the same has forced Pakistan to take matters into its own hands. Hence, Pakistan army operations directed on TTP hideouts in Afghanistan have become a necessity for national security.
The operations of TTP have been on a high-profile spree, performing bombings, killings, attacks on navy installations, and cross-border raids from Afghanistan into Pakistan since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021. Such actions breached already fragile relations between these two countries. Pakistan has continuously asked the Taliban to act against the TTP; however, since little of that has happened, Pakistan is now compelled to take the matter into its hands. Indispensably, the national security has made Pakistan army operations directed on TTP hideouts in Afghanistan imperative.
Retaliation by Pakistan Justified
Pakistan’s air and ground strikes in Afghanistan encompass the retaliatory attack very recent. Pakistan’s move regarding all these actions in retaliation is because of the gathering TTP threat, which requires all necessary activities taken in order to protect some of its sovereignty due to the rampant safety threats to its nationals. The Pakistani military’s claim that the recent border conflict was triggered by an infiltration attempt by TTP militants is enough to highlight the urgent requirement for addressing the very danger emanating from the Taliban-run Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s borders have been thrashed in efforts to clear out the militants that limn it in Afghanistan, flying from the TTP, which is responsible for so many deaths in Pakistan, with the free flow of air in Afghanistan, exploiting the lawlessness and lack of control in border areas. Moves by the Pakistan army are geared toward disrupting operations of TTP as well as preventing any further incursion into Pakistani soil.
The closing line is further complicated by the inability of the Taliban to cease their support, whether by action or through direct facilitation, in such a scenario. It deems Pakistan justified in defending the lives of its citizens against terrorist organizations that cross into its territory to perpetrate attacks. It doesn’t leave Pakistan a choice but to retaliate in the wake of the Afghan Taliban not ending their terms with the TTP and preventing their operatives from using Afghanistan as a launching pad for cross-border terrorism.
The cost of human inaction would be much greater than the military response that Pakistan has undertaken. With the TTP fighters entrenched in the borders of Afghanistan, civilians, armed forces, and infrastructure in the country will be always vulnerable. Hanging at the TTP hideouts in Afghanistan makes Pakistan try to outlive a large probability before it reaches its cities and villages. Unless Pakistan moves to neutralise these militants, it risks very possibly ushering in a full-scale insurrection on its own.
The Taliban’s Narrative: Denial and Retribution
The Taliban’s narrative that conveys repudiation of any provocation and frames Pakistan’s acts as retaliation to the airstrikes is a testimony to their continued unwillingness to discuss cross-border militancy. That sad event of airstrikes on Paktika causing civilian casualties cannot be put into a singular context far removed from the wider set of issues regarding Pakistan’s security. The inability of the Taliban to recognise the increasing threat from the TTP and their unwillingness to act concretely against the institution reflects the lack of will toward anything to resolve the issue diplomatically.
Pakistan’s response, however unfortunate in terms of civilian casualties, has to be treated as the last resort hotel. The TTP’s regular incursions across borders coupled with the Taliban’s failure to manage the affairs leave almost no room for Pakistan to negotiate. The safety forces of Pakistan would have been under continuous threat, and it is only natural that the state should defend itself when its citizens are under threat.
The Path to Regional Stability
In my opinion, Pakistan’s armed reaction is justified and essential in the face of increasing terrorist activities coming from Afghanistan. The decision to act against TTP militants-the very decision that could jeopardize relations with the Taliban-does reflect that the country is committed to safeguarding its citizens. The fact that even the Afghan Taliban have not been able to rein in TTP’s networks within their territory leaves Pakistan with little else but such measure to secure its borders.
It is a mixed stand that needs to be taken regarding Pakistan here-it is against one side that is grievances in this scenario. The tenacious hold of TTP militants in Afghanistan and without inclination of the Taliban to deal with this issue gives rise to an explosive security situation. Pakistan is determining acts against an immediate threat to national security, and although civilian casualties apparently are regrettable, they do not reduce the necessity of self-defense.
Thus, a more optimistic dialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan is required to address the underlying factors such as the management of border areas and the dismantling of militant networks. Only with cooperation, therefore, the region can hope for peace and durability in the future. However, until such cooperation is realized, Pakistan will have no other option, but to keep prioritizing its security and take the necessary measures to protect its sovereignty.
The author, is a dedicated economics analyst pursuing her BS in Economics. Her research focus lies in the realm of Pakistan's economy, with a particular emphasis on its relations with other countries and the BRICS nations.
Add a Comment