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    OPINION                                                                   JULY 31, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 10

            Graveyard of Empires:

                                      Afghanistan’s

                          Pakistan Problem

                         Pakistan has always tried to influence the internal situation in Afghanistan

                      to suit its strategic objectives. Islamabad’s security-centric approach has dented

                                 Afghanistan’s political system and inhibited its political growth

            PRIYANKA SINGH

                  fter several months of ten-
                  sions,  the  Pakistan–Afghani-
            Astan standoff seems  far from
            abating. In the latest round of hostili-
            ties at the end of June 2026, Pakistan
            conducted airstrikes on the Samkhani
            district of the south-eastern province
            of  Paktia.  Dozens  were  killed  and
            hundreds  injured  in  these  airstrikes,
            along  with  considerable  damage  to
            infrastructure. Afghan Interior Min-
            ister  Sirajuddin  Haqqani  visited  the
            families  of  the  deceased  and  paid
            condolences.
                The  recent  strikes  are  part  of
            Pakistan’s  series  of  operations  that
            started around the time of the Afghan
            Foreign Minister’s trip to New Delhi
            (October 2025). They peaked at the
            time of the US–Israel attacks on Iran
            towards the end of February 2026 and
            have  continued  intermittently  since
            then.  Pak–Taliban  contentions  stem
            from  the  former’s  discontent  over
            the Taliban government’s reticence in   For nearly three decades of its existence, Pakistan has been directly involved in wars in Afghanistan under the US’s aegis (File photo)
            containing the Pakistani Taliban, also
            known  as  the  Tehrik-e-Taliban  Paki-
            stan (TTP).                       who remained in Pakistan formed the   ticularly  the  West,  looks  the  other   tactics,  including  a  trade  and  transit
                At the heart of the present Af-  TTP.  The  residual  Taliban  pursued   way, New Delhi has issued consistent   blockade,  which  has  only  worsened
            ghanistan–Pakistan  hostilities  has   Pakistan to implement Sharia law in   condemnations  of  Pakistan’s  indis-  the situation concerning the forceful
            been  the  TTP,  Pakistan’s  biggest  al-  the country, and they did so by using   criminate strikes against Afghanistan.   expulsion of Afghan refugees across
            batross on the internal security front.   violence  against  Pakistan’s  security   The escalation of fighting has caused   the  Durand  Line  and,  at  the  same
            Post-9/11,  the  Taliban  fighters  took   apparatus. Since the return of the Af-  loss of lives and livelihoods, targeting   time, led to financial losses of up to
            refuge in Pakistan’s then FATA (Fed-  ghan Taliban, Pakistan has remained   women, children, and mostly hapless   US$ 850 million.
            erally  Administered  Tribal  Areas)   hopeful that they will stop providing   civilians. The worst collateral impact   Few  salient  realities  that  char-
            region.  Later,  as  the  US  war  effort   material and moral support to the Pa-  has been the forceful deportation of   acterize the dilemma of Afghanistan
            began to stretch, especially after the   kistani Taliban, their sibling faction.  Afghan refugees, which Pakistan has   and Pakistan can be described under
            opening  of  another  war  in  Iraq  in   Given  the  US–Iran  hostilities,   used as a punitive measure to deter   the following heads. Some of these
            2003,  the  Taliban  started  to  return   the  renewed  Pakistan–Afghanistan   and punish the Taliban government in   are part of the broad inherent prob-
            to  Afghanistan  to  build  resistance   tensions  have  remained  overshad-  Kabul. Apart from airstrikes, Pakistan   lems that have long existed and are,
            against the US-NATO forces. Those   owed. As the rest of the world, par-  has unleashed a string of pressure   Continued on next page... >>

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