ISLAMABAD:
When the Afghan Taliban returned to power in August 2021, Pakistan became their biggest supporter by advocating deeper engagement with the new leaders in Kabul and working tirelessly to seek its international legitimacy.
Pakistan’s efforts stemmed from the fact that it had close and historic ties with the group and believed that under the Taliban government, relations with Afghanistan would only improve.
Islamabad’s biggest concern remained the use of Afghan soil by groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates. Pakistan said the previous administrations of Karazi and Ghani were likely complicit in allowing these groups to operate.
However, his expectations were different from those of the Afghan Taliban and that is why he persuaded the international community to remain engaged in the interim arrangement from the start.
However, it took Pakistan only a few months to realize that the Afghan Taliban and the TTP were two sides of the same coin. However, Pakistan did not give up and continued to seek a solution to this problem.
But the “unprovoked attacks” by Afghan Taliban forces on several Pakistani posts on Saturday evening finally led to a paradigm shift in Islamabad’s Afghan policy.
Afghan forces opened fire on Saturday at several locations along the border, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir and Chitral areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Zhob district of Balochistan province.
The Pakistani army responded quickly and forcefully and its retaliation resulted in the deaths of 200 Taliban and TTP members. While the army media provided operational details of the Afghan attacks and Pakistan’s response, the statement issued late in the evening by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs left a clear hint at Pakistan’s “turnaround” towards the Afghan Taliban.
In the foreign ministry statement, Islamabad refrained from describing the Kabul administration as the Afghan interim government. Instead, it has been labeled a “Taliban regime,” a calculated move aimed at calling into question its legitimacy. What was more telling in the official document was Pakistan’s desire to have a representative government in Kabul.
“Pakistan wants a peaceful, stable, friendly, inclusive, regionally connected and prosperous Afghanistan. Pakistan expects the Taliban regime to act responsibly, honor its commitments and play a constructive role in achieving the common goal of eradicating terrorism from its soil.
“We also hope that one day the Afghan people will be emancipated and governed by a truly representative government,” he said, in a clear departure from previous positions.
Official sources told The Express PK Press Club that the move was part of a well-calibrated move by Pakistan, reflecting the current state of affairs.
Sources said Pakistan will no longer support the Taliban regime unless the Kabul administration improves and addresses its genuine security concerns.
Pakistan also set new rules of engagement, meaning any new terrorist attacks across the border would prompt a rapid response from inside Afghanistan.
