Kabul's denial

The Afghan Taliban appear increasingly unwilling to acknowledge ground realities. Their intransigent attitude towards Pakistan is pushing them to make unrealistic claims. One such claim from Taliban 2.0 was that they lacked the "capabilities to fuel insecurity in other countries". Nothing could be more astonishing than this statement as it stands in contradiction to the modus operandi of the reclusive regime in Afghanistan. It is a proven fact that Kabul is patronising a horde of non-state actors, including the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, responsible for a spike in terrorism inside Pakistan. Likewise, IS-K and Al-Qaeda are fomenting terrorism in neighbouring countries by using Afghan soil with impunity.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has simply hoodwinked the public about these ground realities by saying that Pakistan's finger-pointing over terrorist incidents is meant for "domestic distraction". It is also a flawed assessment from the Taliban spokesperson that "it is not in his country's interest to create insecurity in Pakistan or to support any acts of instability there". The facts speak for themselves, and he would be better advised to refer to a host of reports from UN and other bodies, squarely blaming the Taliban for being behind the export of terrorism.

Islamabad has rightly rebutted such absurd claims from the Taliban leadership by citing the cross-border terrorism index of the UN Security Council's Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team as well as a report from the US Congress. Likewise, the US Lead Inspector General's report on Operation Enduring Sentinel for January–March 2026 stated that the Afghan Taliban continued to allow the banned TTP to operate from Afghan territory. That is why Pakistan was compelled to fly sorties over terrorist hideouts inside Afghanistan, after a complete lack of cooperation from Kabul to exterminate the terror nexus.

Kabul must get real and understand that its stunt is leading it into a quagmire. Millions of Afghans are malnourished and lack avenues of social mobility, as Kabul nurses a feel-good factor with the militants. The gun-toting militants are an existential threat to the regime as well as the peace and stability of the entire region. No point in living with ostrich syndrome.