Hostile western front

The clashes on the western frontier with Afghanistan are a grim reminder that Taliban 2.0 nursed vendetta against Pakistan. The unprovoked shelling and subsequent attacks on Pakistani check-posts on the night between October 11 and 12 was a misadventure by Kabul, apparently intended at showcasing bravado to its new-found love in New Delhi. It is no coincidence that Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi was on a six-day visit to India when the Afghan authorities surpassed all norms of bilateral cordiality with Pakistan and opened a new battlefront. The outcome, however, was disastrous as retaliation from Pakistan led to the killing of more than 200 Taliban-affiliated terrorists. Also, 23 Pakistani soldiers embraced martyrdom. It is officially reported that 21 hostile positions on the Afghan side of the border were also physically captured, though briefly, and multiple terrorist training camps were destroyed.

The firing from Afghanistan at several locations simultaneously such as Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir and Chitral in K-P and Bahram Chah in Balochistan is a new episode in military escalation between the two countries. While border skirmishes involving non-state actors were normal, this state-backed action on the part of Kabul is condemnable and has come to derail all kinds of CBMs undertaken between the two countries since August 2021. Moreover, the sordid claim from Kabul that no terrorist outfit is present on their soil is tantamount to distortion of ground realities. Pakistan has been a victim of cross-border infiltration and TTP, and the likes, holed up in the strife-torn country are responsible for the uptick in terrorism and bloodshed.

It is a fact that Afghanistan is the epicentre of terrorism in the region, and the Taliban's continued denial is nothing but a political stunt. Pakistan's patience was tested time and again, and the weekend duel came as a befitting response to the excesses on the part of Taliban 2.0. The authorities in Kabul must revisit Doha Accord and go on to flush out terror elements from its soil. It's about time they understood that making peace with Pakistan is indispensable.