PAKISTAN’S patience with Afghanistan is wearing thin.
After enduring decades of terrorism launched from Afghan soil, Islamabad now faces renewed cross-border attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and escalating provocations from Taliban forces. The tensions along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border are not sudden; they stem from years of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan—a reality Kabul continues to deny while twisting the facts.
When the Taliban seized power in August 2021, Pakistan stood by Afghanistan when the world turned away. It kept its embassy open, facilitated safe evacuation for thousands, and called in global forums to unfreeze Afghanistan’s $9 billion assets to avert humanitarian disaster. Through regional platforms such as the Economic Cooperation Organization, Islamabad advocated for Afghan relief. Despite these gestures, Afghan soil soon became a sanctuary for TTP militants orchestrating deadly attacks in Pakistan.
Islamabad repeatedly pursued dialogue and restraint. In 2022 and 2023, delegations led by Mufti Taqi Usmani, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and the DG ISI visited Kabul to promote border security and counterterrorism cooperation. In 2024, another high-level delegation led by Interior Minister Naqvi sought improved coordination. Simultaneously, Pakistan’s Special Envoy Muhammad Sadiq advanced the Early Harvest Program, reducing tariffs on key Afghan exports to boost bilateral trade.
In return, Afghanistan permitted TTP and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants to expand operations. Over 60 terrorist camps—under the network Fitna al Khawarij—function across Nuristan, Kunar, Nangarhar, and other Afghan provinces, serving as infiltration hubs into Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Since mid-2025, Pakistan has recorded 172 organized Tashkils involving nearly 4,000 militants crossing into its territory.
The 36th UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team Report (July 2025) validates Pakistan’s claims, confirming that Al-Qaida and TTP operate freely in Afghanistan with Taliban complicity. Six Afghan provinces host active Al-Qaida camps, and three new training sites have emerged where both groups train together. The report estimates 6,000 TTP fighters receiving financial, logistical, and operational support from the Taliban—contradicting Kabul’s denials.
Despite Pakistan sharing precise coordinates of these camps, the Taliban regime has done nothing. The presence of TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud in Kabul—reportedly receiving $43,000 per month—amounts to state-backed terrorism and a breach of the Doha Agreement. Afghan nationals increasingly participate in attacks inside Pakistan; over 200 have been identified among slain militants. Weapons left behind by NATO are now used by these groups, sold to them by Afghan commanders.
For more than four decades, Pakistan has sacrificed economically and socially for Afghanistan—hosting five million refugees, educating 60,000 students, building hospitals, and providing duty-free trade access through APTTA. Yet, Afghan soil continues to export terrorism and instability. Regulating Afghan nationals within Pakistan is thus a sovereign necessity, not hostility.
Pakistan still desires peace and cooperation but cannot compromise on its sovereignty. Any future aggression will draw a firm and proportionate response. Kabul must stop serving as a proxy for foreign interests and act against terrorists sheltering on its soil.
True regional stability demands sincerity. Afghanistan must abandon denial, fulfill its commitments, and prove itself a responsible neighbour. Pakistan’s goodwill remains unmatched—but its patience is not infinite. Peace, prosperity, and mutual respect can only emerge once Kabul decisively ends terrorism emanating from its territory.
—The writer is contributing columnist.
