Allies of Adversaries: Deteriorating Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations

The Taliban, on the contrary, seem to have changed their position, aligning themselves with nationalist rhetoric. — Image source: FILE The Taliban seem to have changed their position, aligning themselves with nationalist rhetoric.

After the Taliban overthrew Afghanistan’s democratic government in 2021, it was Pakistan that celebrated the occasion the most, expecting a new bloc to come to the fore, attracting the attention of the entire world and thus the region gaining prominence . Three years later, the situation has changed drastically. Islamabad has launched strikes inside Afghanistan, which it says were aimed at punishing TTP rebels the Taliban have been unable to control. Pakistani adventurism was met with appropriate retaliation by the Taliban, who also claim to have killed several Pakistani troops in action.

Pakistan’s support for the Afghan Taliban

For nearly two decades, the Afghan Taliban have fought the US-led coalition of more than 40 countries in Afghanistan. At the time, Pakistan gave shelter to Taliban leaders in the regions bordering Afghanistan. The Taliban have mapped out an ecosystem that could foster its organic links across the spectrum of Pakistani society. It gave the space and opportunity to the Taliban to initiate an insurgency that turned deadly in the years to come. Pakistan has been instrumental in strengthening the Taliban and seeing the back of Afghanistan’s democratic government.

The Taliban reject Pakistan

Importantly, Pakistan expected the Taliban government to return the favor by being more cooperative and accommodating to Islamabad’s geopolitical aspirations. But on the contrary, the Taliban seem to have changed their position, aligning themselves with nationalist rhetoric. To garner support from the wider Afghan society, the Taliban cannot remain Pakistan’s geopolitical tool. Because the Taliban want to gain government recognition for themselves, rather than stick with the often-referred adjective of “fighter group,” Pakistan is finding it difficult to maneuver Kabul.

The arena of rebellion is shifting to Pakistan

Another notable change in regional dynamics is that after the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, the arena of the insurgency shifted to Pakistan as well. It has led to frequent attacks on Pakistani security personnel, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Most of the attacks are claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). While Pakistan was busy categorizing both the TTP and the Afghan Taliban as “good Taliban” and “bad Taliban”, the two fostered a kind of symbiotic relationship between them, which even included sharing sanctuaries and resources. Ironically, Pakistan now expects the dispensation of the Taliban in Afghanistan to control the TTP.

Durand Line: An Emotive Issue in Afghanistan

Additionally, the Durand Line, a colonial-era demarcation, is a contentious issue between both countries. Despite recognizing the Durand Line as the international border between both countries, Afghanistan never recognized the line after Pakistan came into existence in 1947. It has become rather an emotive issue in Afghanistan, with Kabul blaming the line for dividing the Pashtuns. Following this example, the current Taliban regime also renounces the legitimacy of the Durand Line. This is seen as a failure of Pakistan’s strategic penetration into Afghanistan.