The Afghan enigma

Afghan transgression across the western frontier is becoming the order of the day. It is an open-and-shut case of interference and a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty. The plot thickens with the patronage that the terror nexus, including the outlawed TTP, enjoys from the Taliban rulers. In a daredevil attack, eight drones were flown from Kabul. However, they were successfully shot down by Pakistan's security forces. The incursion was from across the Torkham border into Kohat city.

It is worth recalling that Kohat was a theatre of a massacre a few days ago when insurgents from Afghanistan targeted the Police Lines area, killing and maiming more than 36 policemen and civilians. Kabul had the audacity to strike deep inside Pakistan with drones, even at a time when the country was at war with India. Back then, the drones targeted Peshawar and Rawalpindi, confirming an inevitable criminal collusion with India to bleed Pakistan.

The recent spike needs to be viewed within the context of evolving geopolitical dynamics. Pakistan is being pushed into a security dilemma on both its eastern and western fronts. Harbouring sleeper cells and terror abettors is part of the game plan. Thus, Islamabad was well within its rights to fly sorties over terror hideouts last week, reportedly killing over two-dozen terrorists. Pakistan had categorically informed the UNSC that it has the right to self-defence and that no violation of its territorial integrity will be tolerated. This brinkmanship from Kabul, apparently at the behest of Delhi, demands the attention of the global community, and its urgency cannot be set aside.

The least Afghanistan should do is learn the ethics of interstate relations. It has no choice but to act against terror hideouts and stop taking on Pakistan for the sake of point-scoring. The UN, regional states, and even the SCO have indicted Kabul for inaction in turning its landmass into a hub for terrorists. It cannot absolve itself by resorting to the gimmick of flying drones.