Pakistan has warned Afghanistan’s Taliban regime to immediately halt cross-border terrorism and dismantle TTP sanctuaries operating inside its territory. Islamabad blames Kabul for escalating violence along the Durand Line, warning of strong retaliation if attacks continue.
The Pakistan–Afghanistan frontier has once again become a flashpoint of regional instability, as Islamabad accuses Kabul of sponsoring cross-border terrorism and sheltering militant groups responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. The recent escalation has renewed fears of a wider conflict in South Asia, already tense after the India–Pakistan confrontation earlier this year.
The latest wave of cross-border aggression has reignited concerns that Afghanistan under Taliban rule is directly responsible for destabilizing the Pakistan–Afghanistan region.
Despite Pakistan’s decades-long sacrifices in the global war on terror, Kabul’s continued patronage of militant groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) threatens to undo years of hard-won stability.
Pakistan’s Enduring Toll in the War on Terror
For more than two decades, Pakistan has paid an immense price as a frontline state in the U.S.-led “War on Terror.”
According to official data, the country has lost over 80,000 citizens and soldiers and suffered economic losses exceeding $150 billion while serving as a frontline ally in the U.S.-led War on Terror.
Unfulfilled Promises After the Taliban Takeover
The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 had initially raised hopes in Islamabad for renewed border stability. Pakistan expected the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to prevent Afghan soil from being used against any state, as promised under the Doha Agreement (2020).
Despite immense human and financial sacrifice, Pakistan’s counterterrorism campaigns, including Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad, dismantled major terror networks by 2015, forcing the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates to flee into Afghanistan.
Regional Power Play and Indian Influence
Pakistan’s security circles highlight the resurgence of Indian influence in Afghanistan, particularly through the revival of intelligence cooperation between India’s RAW and Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS). Islamabad believes this partnership has reactivated anti-Pakistan operations in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, destabilizing both sides of the Durand Line.
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This evolving situation has revived concerns about a broader Indo–Afghan–Israel strategic nexus, with shared interests in countering Pakistan’s influence in South Asia.
The Afghanistan faces deep internal fractures. Economic collapse, food insecurity, and international isolation have eroded its authority. Factional divides between the Haqqani network in the east, Abdullah Masud’s Panjshir faction in the north, and the Kandahari leadership threaten cohesion.
The government is also confronting growing threats from the Islamic State–Khorasan Province (IS-KP), which has expanded its footprint across eastern Afghanistan. IS-KP’s violent campaigns have targeted both Taliban and regional states, creating an environment where multiple militant factions now coexist and compete, fueling broader instability.
Intelligence sources allege that the RAW–NDS collaboration has been reactivated, undermining Pakistan’s security and aiding anti-state groups like the TTP and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
Islamabad also views the evolving Indo–Afghan–Israel nexus as a direct strategic threat. During the India–Pakistan conflict of May 2025, Afghan proxies reportedly carried out attacks along the western border, keeping Pakistan’s security forces stretched.
The situation escalated dramatically on October 10–11, 2025, when Afghan troops allegedly carried out coordinated cross-border attacks along six points of the Durand Line.
Pakistan’s military responded forcefully, capturing 21 Afghan posts and inflicting over 250 casualties on Afghan troops and TTP militants combined.
Pakistan air and drone strikes targeted Kabul’s intelligence headquarters and TTP command centres in Kandahar, reportedly killing IEA intelligence chief Maulvi Wasiq and TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud. Pakistan’s operations also destroyed Haibatullah Akhundzada’s training compound and multiple joint TTP–BLA camps.
Kabul requested a ceasefire within hours, which Islamabad accepted briefly on humanitarian grounds. However, fresh Afghan provocations on October 14–15 reignited clashes, promoting Pakistan to expand its buffer zone along the borders.
A New Regional Reality
Pakistan’s firm response marks a decisive shift in its regional policy. After years of appeasement and reactive diplomacy, Islamabad now appears poised to assert its sovereignty without hesitation. Officials maintain that Pakistan will no longer tolerate “proxy warfare” on its soil or compromise national security under external pressure.
As South Asia braces for the next chapter of this volatile relationship, one reality stands out: Afghanistan’s instability continues to ripple beyond its borders — and Pakistan has decided that containment, not compromise, is the way forward.
Conclusion
The Afghanistan–Pakistan region stands at a critical juncture. With the Taliban regime struggling internally and refusing to curb anti-Pakistan groups, Islamabad is adopting a firmer, more self-reliant stance. Whether the coming Doha peace talks will defuse tensions or deepen the divide remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: Pakistan is no longer willing to absorb the cost of Afghanistan’s instability.
