After the Taliban toppled the democratic government in Afghanistan in 2021, it was Pakistan which celebrated the occasion the most, expecting that a new bloc would come into the fore, garnering the attention of the entire world, and thus the region would gain prominence. Three years down the line, the tables have turned drastically. Islamabad launched strikes inside Afghanistan which it claims were intended to punish the TTP rebels whom the Taliban has not been able to control. Pakistan's adventurism was meted with appropriate retaliation by the Taliban, which also claims to have killed several Pakistani troops in action.
Pakistan's support to Afghan Taliban
For nearly two decades, the Afghan Taliban fought the US-led coalition of more than 40 countries in Afghanistan. At that time, Pakistan gave sanctuary to Taliban leaders across regions bordering Afghanistan. Taliban traced an ecosystem which could foster its organic linkages across the spectrum of the Pakistani society. It gave space and opportunity to the Taliban to initiate an uprising which became lethal in years to come. Pakistan was instrumental in bolstering the Taliban and seeing the back of the democratic government in Afghanistan.
Taliban snubs Pakistan
Importantly, Pakistan expected the Taliban government to return the favour by being more cooperative and accommodative of Islamabad's geopolitical aspirations. But, the Taliban, conversely, appears to have shifted its position by aligning with nationalist rhetoric. To garner support from the wider Afghan society, the Taliban can not remain Pakistan's geopolitical tool. Since the Taliban wants to earn the recognition of a government for itself rather than sticking with the often-referred adjective of a 'fighter group', Pakistan finds it hard to manoeuvre Kabul anymore.
The arena of rebellion shifts to Pakistan
Another notable change in the regional dynamics is that after the Taliban came to the helm in Afghanistan, the arena of rebellion has also moved to Pakistan. It has resulted in frequent attacks on Pakistan's security personnel, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The majority of attacks are claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). While Pakistan was busy categorising both TTP and Afghan Taliban as 'good Taliban' and 'bad Taliban', these two fostered a sort of symbiotic relations between them, which even included sharing sanctuaries and resources. Ironically, Pakistan now expects the Taliban dispensation in Afghanistan to rein in TTP.
Durand Line: An emotive issue in Afghanistan
Additionally, the Durand Line, a colonial-era demarcation pertains to be a contentious issue between both the countries. Despite the Durand Line's recognition as the international border between both countries, Afghanistan has never recognised the line after Pakistan came into being in 1947. It has rather become an emotive issue in Afghanistan with Kabul blaming the line for having divided the Pashtuns. Following the suit, the current Taliban regime also discards the legitimacy of the Durand line. This is seen as a failure of Pakistan's strategic penetration in Afghanistan.
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