Following the United States’ abrupt exit from Afghanistan, the Taliban quickly mobilized and started capturing territories across the war-torn country. Their recent advance towards cities like Herat and Lashkar Gah and sensitive installations like Kandahar airport suggests that it may not be too long before Kabul falls. Afghan forces are engaged in fierce street battles with Taliban forces to stop any such eventuality but the progress the latter has made so far does not bode well for the Ghani government and the future of the Afghan people. Since May of this year, when the US withdrawal began, giving the Taliban the opportunity and confidence to begin their campaign to seize power, support for their cause has been witnessed in Pakistan as well. Two weeks back, the Afghan Taliban seized a major border crossing with Pakistan following which celebratory rallies were taken out in Peshawar and Quetta showing people chanting slogans and waving Taliban flags. Yesterday, a group of 20 to 25 young men were found waving Afghanistan’s national flag as well as that of the Taliban at a public park in Islamabad. While the officers present at the scene may have brushed off the incident as a minor one as waving another country’s flag is ‘not a crime’, such events cannot be taken lightly.
Pakistan has suffered immensely due to the US starting a conflict across the border in Afghanistan and exiting prematurely, leaving behind a dangerous mess that causes death and destruction. This was the case following the end of the 80’s Afghan War and is being repeated as the US exits Afghanistan after 20 years with hardly anything to show for it. The recent uptick in terrorist activity across Pakistan indicates that a wave of terrorism, similar to the bloody violence witnessed between 2013 and 2018, may be on the horizon. It is unfortunate that parallel to this, a significant and worrying amount of support for the Taliban is being witnessed in various cities of the country. It is perhaps still not too late that aggressive action is taken by the relevant authorities to get a hold of the situation before it completely unravels and becomes uncontrollable. There is precedent for such an outcome, the result of complacency and procrastination. Hopefully the same mistakes are not repeated this time round.
