FOR several days, the Durand Line has been red hot, echoing with heavy fire and artillery. This marks a shift from regular border skirmishes to a full-blown war between the two na-tions. The Taliban regime launched a direct offensive action instead of relying on its tradi-tional proxy militant networks such as the TTP, TTA or ISKP, reiterating significant shifts in its regional security calculus. There has been a surge in terrorism in Pakistan, largely driven by TTP operations. Its campaign of suicide attacks, IEDs and attacks on security officials throughout KPK and Waziristan has resulted in more than 2,400 deaths recorded in the first three quarters of 2025, thereby revising memories of foundational violence.
With the re-emergence of the Taliban back in power in 2021, the TTP finds itself in a changed geopolitical landscape. This has prompted its resurgence with indirect aid from its ideological namesake, the Taliban. This ideological kinship and historical alliance between the two groups have created serious problems for Pakistan. Pakistan has repeatedly con-veyed concerns and provided detailed intelligence, including the locations of operational bases, regarding the militant groups orchestrating cross-border terrorism. However, Kabul’s turning a blind eye toward the TTP has forced Islamabad to shift from diplomatic pressure and caution to a counteroffensive through cross-border aerial and drone strikes, highlighting a tectonic shift toward a doctrine of reciprocal deterrence.
Islamabad has clearly demonstrated that any terrorist traced back to Afghan soil would be met with a decisive and direct cross-border response against the terrorist’s hideout. The elimination of Noor Wali Mehsud, the TTP chief and subsequent sub-chiefs reinforces that Pakistan has adopted a zero-tolerance policy and terrorist leadership would be targeted to ensure the elimination of the root cause. While Pakistan grapples with the threat of TTP and its subsequent factions, Kabul’s rhetoric that does not recognize the TTP as a terrorist or-ganization is ill-timed and delineates Afghanistan’s role as a safe haven for terrorism, realiz-ing that birds of a feather flock together. This necessitates a strong and blunt military re-sponse to ensure the precise end of cross-border terrorism.
Even though Qatar and Turkiye have brokered a ceasefire between Pakistan and the incum-bent Taliban Regime, the recent terrorist attacks in Waziristan and DI Khan encapsulate that Kabul cannot be trusted. While it instrumentally holds the banner of Islamic brotherhood for its own protection and convenience, the recent pivot toward New Delhi reveals its true pragmatic agenda. This highlights that Islamabad faces a two-front challenge, with New Delhi attempting to achieve strategic recalibration of the region, which is pertinent to a potential territorial loss, evidenced by the regurgitation of the Indian government and its strategic posturing.
In this regard, the Taliban seeks to engage Pakistan in a slow and grueling war of attrition, assuming that Islamabad’s vigilance in the east precludes action in the west. This is a miscalculation. Pakistan, despite pressures from internal and external stakeholders, must reset the rules of the game and engage in a swift response to ensure the security of its borders. This would not only bust the “graveyard of empires” myth that the Taliban celebrate but also send a decisive and direct message to New Delhi—any misadventure would be met with a grave response. Islamabad and policymakers must also keep an open eye to address and rectify elements of separatism, along with all individuals found supporting this narrative and influencing masses through soft propaganda for terrorism in the guise of resistance and liberalism.
It is high time that the Defense Minister of Afghanistan realizes that Pakistan has put his fa-ther on the map, along with the historical provision of support to him and the senior leader-ship. The current posture demonstrates a profound lack of reciprocity, which cannot be sus-tained and must be rectified. In summary, it seems that Pakistan’s miscalculation in cele-brating the Taliban’s return to power has been the catalyst behind these security problems. A paradigm shift is needed, with comprehensive and immediate support to ethnic groups across Afghanistan, including the Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras and Turkmens.
Additionally, their support has direct and bloody consequences for Pakistan and its neigh-bours. There has been a surge of terror attacks in Pakistan. The fact that Pakistani security forces have killed hundreds of Afghan nationals in counter-terror operations and that the Taliban later requested the retrieval of their bodies, is an unprecedented admission of their complicity. It seems that the era of giving concessions is over. The government of Pakistan and its defence forces are on the same page to counter Taliban-sponsored terrorism in the country.
—The writer is Chief Executive, the Centre for Knowledge and Public Policy.
