In a fresh blow to Taliban-Pakistan relations, the Taliban has blamed Pakistan for airstrikes on Wednesday that killed three people, injured several others, and damaged infrastructure in eastern Afghanistan.
The Pakistani government has yet to comment, while Afghanistan’s foreign ministry condemned the attack as “provocative” and summoned the Pakistani ambassador in Kabul.
This comes just days after diplomatic talks between Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan aimed at enhancing counter-terrorism cooperation, and months after efforts to improve bilateral ties.
Conventional wisdom once held that the Taliban’s return to power would boost Pakistan’s influence in Afghanistan. However, since 2021, relations have soured, marked by cross-border clashes and retaliatory strikes.
In December 2022, Pakistan conducted airstrikes on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in Afghanistan’s Paktika province. Islamabad claimed it targeted militants, but the Taliban countered that 46 civilians, including women and children, were killed, further straining ties.
Pakistan’s initial engagement with the Taliban was driven by the pursuit of strategic depth and advancing anti-India objectives. But with Indo-Afghan relations improving, Pakistan’s role in the region is increasingly unclear.
These events underscore the broader instability in South Asia, where competition and mistrust are rising over collaborative efforts. Pakistan’s failure to take a firm position only adds to the uncertainty about its real objectives.
Additionally, Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of harbouring the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group that opposes the Pakistani state. Kabul, however, continues to deny these claims, asserting that it does not allow its soil to be used against other countries.
(This article was written by Tisya Sharma, she is an intern at StratNews Global)
