Following a series of deadly terror attacks inside Pakistan by TehrIk Taliban Pakistan militants operating from Afghan soil, and escalating provocations by Afghan Taliban forces along the border, Kabul has resorted to distorting facts rather than addressing realities. The Pakistan–Afghanistan border tensions are neither abrupt nor unjustified— they stem from years of cross-border terrorism nurtured within Afghanistan. Pakistan has consistently stood by Afghanistan in its most difficult times, while Kabul, regrettably, has never reciprocated that goodwill. The question, therefore, arises: what has Pakistan truly done for Afghanistan— and what has Afghanistan returned in kind?
When the Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021, the entire world shut its embassies and fled. Pakistan, however, kept its mission operational, facilitating safe passage for thousands of evacuees amid the chaos of withdrawal. In global forums including the United Nations, Pakistan persistently called for unfreezing Afghanistan’s $9 billion assets to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. Through platforms such as the Economic Cooperation Organization, Islamabad championed relief efforts to support the Afghan population. Pakistan’s stance was one of peace and stability— but in return, Afghan soil became a safe haven for TTP militants launching deadly attacks across the border.
Despite relentless provocations, Pakistan continued to pursue dialogue through religious, tribal, and diplomatic channels. In July 2022, an eight-member delegation of distinguished Ulema led by Mufti Taqi Usmani visited Kabul to appeal for restraint and cessation of attacks. A 17-member tribal jirga soon followed with the same message of peace. On 22 February 2023, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and the then DG ISI led a high-level delegation to Kabul for talks on border management and counterterrorism. Again, in July 2024, Interior Minister Naqvi headed another mission to strengthen coordination on security issues.
Pakistan’s diplomacy was backed by tangible action. Under the stewardship of Special Envoy Muhammad Sadiq, bilateral trade was revitalized through the Early Harvest Programme, which reduced tariffs on eight key agricultural commodities— benefiting Afghan traders and boosting economic cooperation.
Yet, rather than reciprocating, the Taliban regime allowed TTP’s violence to escalate. Despite repeated assurances, the Interim Afghan Government (IAG) has taken no action against TTP and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants entrenched within its borders. Today, Fitna al Khawarij operates over 60 terrorist camps in Nuristan, Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktiya, Khost, and Paktika, functioning as cross-frontier launchpads into Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. Despite Islamabad sharing verifiable intelligence on these sanctuaries, Kabul’s inaction exposes both complicity and indifference to regional peace.
Since June 2025, Pakistan’s security agencies have recorded 172 organized Tashkils (a 36 percent increase) and approximately 4,000 Khawarij terrorists (a 48 percent rise) infiltrating KP from Afghan territory. From Zabul, Paktika, Kandahar, Helmand, and Nimruz provinces, anti-Pakistan militants have also penetrated Balochistan— 83 Tashkils comprising around 1,200 terrorists have crossed cis-frontier, underscoring coordinated aggression.
The 36th UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team Report (July 2025) substantiates Pakistan’s concerns. It confirms that Afghanistan’s de facto authorities maintain a permissive environment for terrorist groups including Al-Qaida and TTP— posing a grave threat to regional stability. According to the report, six Afghan provinces— Ghazni, Helmand, Kandahar, Kunar, Uruzgan, and Zabul— host active Al-Qaida training camps under Taliban supervision. Three new sites have reportedly been established where Al-Qaida and TTP fighters train jointly, proving their operational collaboration. TTP, with around 6,000 fighters, continues to receive logistical, financial, and operational support from Taliban elements— directly contradicting Kabul’s repeated denials.
It is still not too late for Afghanistan to act like a responsible state and a brotherly neighbour. Pakistan’s goodwill, Islamic fraternity, and humanitarian spirit remain unmatched— but patience has limits. True regional stability depends on Kabul’s sincerity. Pakistan seeks not confrontation, but cooperation— grounded in mutual respect, verifiable security measures, and an end to terrorism emanating from Afghan soil. Only then can both nations coexist in peace, stability, and shared prosperity.
Islamabad has repeatedly shared precise coordinates of these terror camps, yet instead of dismantling them, the Taliban regime allowed their expansion under GDI oversight. The protection of the TTP leadership, particularly its chief Noor Wali Mehsud, who is said to reside in Kabul and reportedly receives $43,000 monthly, constitutes state-backed terrorism and a blatant violation of the Doha Agreement. The recent Afghan social media uproar confirming Mehsud’s survival after an alleged attack in Kabul further validates Pakistan’s position— he is indeed being sheltered under Taliban protection.
The situation has worsened as Afghan nationals increasingly feature in TTP infiltration teams, proving that cross-border terrorism is now being exported as deliberate aggression. Billions worth of sophisticated weaponry abandoned by NATO and US forces— M16 rifles, M4 carbines, night vision devices, and thermal optics— are now being used by TTP and BLA militants, allegedly sold to them by Afghan commanders. In a recent assault on the Frontier Constabulary HQ in Bannu, three of the six attackers, including the suicide bomber, were Afghan nationals. Similarly, a Taliban-aligned group, Tahaffuz-e-Imarat-e-Islami Force, claimed responsibility for the Dera Ismail Khan police school attack, killing seven policemen. In multiple terror incidents across Pakistan, over 207 Afghan nationals have been identified among the dead— each with confirmed Afghan identity details.
Pakistan’s patience has been extraordinary— but finite. For over four decades, Pakistan has sacrificed blood, economy, and stability for Afghanistan’s peace. Hosting over five million Afghan refugees, providing education to more than 60,000 Afghan students, and constructing hospitals, schools, and infrastructure projects—these are not gestures of convenience, but acts of humanity and Islamic brotherhood unmatched in modern history. Pakistan implemented the Afghanistan–Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA), granting Afghanistan duty-free access to ports and regional markets, alongside relaxed visa policies and border trade facilitation.
Yet, Afghanistan’s response has been betrayal and hostility. Its soil continues to be used for launching terrorist attacks on Pakistani civilians and security forces. Pakistan’s regulation of Afghan nationals is not revenge— it is a sovereign necessity dictated by national security and economic realities. The porous border, once a humanitarian gateway, has become a corridor of violence.
Pakistan has never abandoned diplomacy and remains committed to a peaceful, prosperous, and inclusive Afghanistan. However, protection of Pakistan’s sovereignty and the lives of its people will always remain non-negotiable. Any further provocation will be met with a firm and proportionate response. Kabul must recognize that siding with India’s interests or echoing its rhetoric will only isolate Afghanistan further; New Delhi has historically exploited and abandoned Afghanistan whenever its strategic goals were achieved.
The Taliban’s claim that terrorism in Pakistan is an “internal issue” is a delusion that defies UN reports, intelligence evidence, and ground realities. The fight against terrorism is a collective obligation, and Kabul must abandon its policy of denial. It must act decisively, transparently, and verifiably against terrorists operating on Afghan soil.
It is still not too late for Afghanistan to act like a responsible state and a brotherly neighbour. Pakistan’s goodwill, Islamic fraternity, and humanitarian spirit remain unmatched— but patience has limits. True regional stability depends on Kabul’s sincerity. Pakistan seeks not confrontation, but cooperation— grounded in mutual respect, verifiable security measures, and an end to terrorism emanating from Afghan soil. Only then can both nations coexist in peace, stability, and shared prosperity.
