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    OPINION                                                                   JULY 31, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 11

            therefore, not Taliban-centric. These
            are primarily bilateral in nature and
            have  endured  for  decades,  some  as
            early as Pakistan’s creation.
                The  erstwhile  FATA  region,
            among  Pakistan’s  ‘ungoverned  an-
            archic  zones’,  was  the  nerve  center
            of the mujahideen resistance against
            Soviet forces in the 1980s and a hub
            of terrorism, where radicalism flour-
            ished through a network of madrasas
            funded by the CIA and Saudi Arabia.
            Post-9/11, the region gave safe shelter
            to  the  retreating  Taliban.  The  1,300
            km-plus section of the Durand Line,
            dominated by Pashtuns, has been the
            chief source of instability for Afghan-
            istan. Apart from the insurgency and
            Pakistan’s  reprisals  against  Afghan-
            istan, the Balochistan border has re-
            mained an important arena, forming
            a conduit within the notorious Gold-
            en Crescent, formed by Iran, Afghan-
            istan and Pakistan, as the hub of illicit
            drug  trafficking,  from  where  opium
            is grown and distributed around the
            world.                                      The Afghan–Soviet War and the American War on Terror were defining events in Afghanistan’s trajectory (File photo)
                Afghanistan,  the  ‘Graveyard  of
            Empires’, has witnessed multiple in-  Taliban  fighting  the  US  during  the   prioritizing  of  its  internal  securi-  imperiled  the  strategic  situation  of
            vasions—by the British, the Russians,   War on Terror.              ty  goals,  given  extended  swathes  of   Afghanistan rather irreparably. Paki-
            and later the United States. The Brit-  All these decades, Pakistan’s at-  unstable regions bordering Afghani-  stan has always tried to influence the
            ish used the region that would later   titude towards Afghanistan has been   stan. More significantly, Pakistan has   internal situation in Afghanistan to
            become Pakistan, such as the Bolan   to find opportunities in a crisis, and   always viewed Afghanistan as a pitch   suit its strategic objectives. Even the
            Pass and Khyber Pass, to ambush the   in doing so, Pakistan has, advertently   to  settle  scores  against  New  Delhi.   Afghan refugees that it hosted for
            Afghan forces during their protracted   or inadvertently, ended up engaging   This is despite India not possessing a   decades  and  is  now  expelling  were
            wars in the 18th and 19th centuries.   the opposition better than those who   direct land border with Afghanistan   kept for strategic needs, not on hu-
            Later during the Cold War, it was Pa-  held power, or the government of the   due  to  Gilgit-Baltistan’s  controver-  manitarian grounds. That grim view
            kistan that provided logistical support   day, so to speak. Pakistan’s dealings   sial accession to Pakistan in 1947. In-  of refugees was pivotal in convincing
            in the CIA’s covert operation to oust   with  Afghanistan,  as  a  result,  have   dia remains one of the most conspic-  the US Congress to intervene in Af-
            the Soviet Union from Afghanistan.  mostly lain in the grey areas with few-  uous  defining  factors  of  Pakistan’s   ghanistan against the Soviet Union.
                Subsequently,  Pakistan  was  a   er straight dealings. While engaging   gambit or policy on Afghanistan.  Islamabad  has  invested  less  in
            frontline  state  in  the  US’s  War  on   these  factions  or  resistant  constitu-  New Delhi drives Pakistan’s de-  resurrecting  Afghanistan  than  in
            Terror against Afghanistan. There-  encies, Pakistan has more often be-  sire for strategic depth. Since inde-  damaging  it.  Taliban  could  not  be
            fore,  across  centuries  and  decades,   haved as their patron and provider,   pendence, and even before that, In-  holding  Kabul  if  Pakistan  had  not
            Pakistan  has  remained  a  perennial   providing them with money or arms.   dia has had an abiding relationship   supported it. Therefore, while coun-
            route for powers intervening in Af-  That  is  also  how,  during  Operation   with  Afghanistan  and  enjoys  con-  tries  like  India  generously  helped
            ghanistan.    It  has  used  its  logistical   Cyclone,  Islamabad  served  as  the   siderable  goodwill  in  the  country.   Afghanistan’s  reconstruction  and
            advantage towards Afghanistan to   conduit for US funds used to bolster   Chary  of  this,  Pakistan  has  viewed   development,  Pakistan  has  merely
            earn  material  benefits  and  political   anti-Soviet resistance.  every  crisis  as  an  opportunity  to   been a purveyor of US aid, covert or
            favors  from  the  US  throughout  the   The  rupture  in  the  Taliban–Pa-  checkmate  India.  Underpinned  by   overt. Pakistan’s highly self-centered,
            two phases of US interventions in Af-  kistan equations can be seen as such   such biases, Pakistan has consistent-  security-centric approach has dented
            ghanistan. Not only this, but Pakistan   a cumulative manifestation of Paki-  ly treated Afghanistan as a strategic   Afghanistan’s political system and in-
            has also used its geography with Af-  stan’s  patronizing  tendencies.  Since   pawn and not a country on par. Its   hibited its political growth.
            ghanistan to blackmail Washington to   the Taliban, once their protégés, have   desire to outbid India has never let
            extract leeway against India.     refused to budge, Pakistan is left in-  Islamabad  perceive  Afghanistan   Dr Priyanka Singh is Associate Fellow
                Underneath  the  goals  that  the   creasingly  incensed  that  the  group   through a neutral lens.  at Manohar Parrikar Institute for De-
            War  on  Terror  projected,  Pakistan   that once survived on their support   For  nearly  three  decades  of  its   fence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA),
            always  veered  towards  securing  its   is now refusing to bend the knee. A   existence, Pakistan has been directly   New Delhi
            own  strategic  objectives  vis-à-vis   nuisance  quotient  has  dominated   involved in wars in Afghanistan un-  Views expressed are of the author and
            Afghanistan’s  future.  This  probably   how  Pakistan  treats  Afghanistan.   der the US’s aegis. Both these wars,   do not necessarily reflect the views of
            continued  through  the  two  decades   Probably,  that  is  why  its  relations   the Afghan–Soviet War and the War   the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
            of US–Taliban war. Pakistan has con-  with  Afghanistan  per  se  have  been   on  Terror,  were  defining  events  in   Government of India
            tinuously fished for opportunities in   far from cordial for the most part, ex-  Afghanistan’s  trajectory.  They  con-
            Afghanistan’s  troubled  waters—be   cept for a few phases, including that   tinue  to  shape  its  society,  geopoli-  The full version article first appeared
            it  cultivating  the  anti-communist   of Taliban 1.0.              tics  and  interstate  relations.  In  the   in the Comments section of the website
            constituencies  during  the  Cold  War   Pakistan’s  conduct  on  Afghani-  name of managing US objectives in   (www.idsa.in) of Manohar Parrikar
            years,  nurturing  the  Mujahideen   stan is always biased at least due to   Afghanistan while seeking its seem-  Institute for Defense Studies and Anal-
            front against the Soviet Union or the   two primary factors. The first is the   ingly  contrary  agenda,  Pakistan  has   yses, New Delhi, on July 22, 2026

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