India-Taliban engagement riles Islamabad

IT’s hardly a coincidence that Afghanistan-Pakistan relations have hit a new low during Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s ground-breaking visit to India. Pakistan brazenly carried out airstrikes in Kabul on Thursday, the day Muttaqi landed in New Delhi. In retaliation, Afghan forces attacked Pakistani military outposts; 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the fighting, according to a Taliban spokesperson. Calling the attacks by Afghans ‘unprovoked’, Pakistan claims to have seized around 20 Afghan military posts and ‘terrorist hideouts’ in border areas. The clashes have sparked fears of a wider, prolonged conflict that could have serious implications for the entire South Asian region and beyond.

Incessant terror attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have rattled Islamabad in recent months. Pakistan has repeatedly alleged that TTP fighters are operating from Afghan soil, but Kabul has denied the charge. Muttaqi has stated that Afghanistan wants a peaceful resolution of its conflict with Pakistan, but he has hastened to warn that if the peace efforts don’t succeed, his country has “other means” to tackle the situation. It is apparent that the Taliban have been emboldened by their growing ties with India, adding to Pakistan’s frustration. No wonder Pakistan summoned the Afghan ambassador to express its “strong reservations” over the India-Afghanistan joint statement issued in Delhi. The mere fact that the statement mentioned “Jammu and Kashmir” while talking about the Pahalgam terror attack has not gone down well with Islamabad. Causing more discomfiture to Pakistan, the Afghan government has reaffirmed that it won’t allow any group or individual to use Afghan territory against India.

Counter-terror collaboration with Afghanistan can be beneficial for India, especially amid reports that Pak-based terror outfits have rebuilt the camps that were damaged during Op Sindoor. Delhi and Kabul must keep up the pressure to corner Islamabad, a notorious sponsor of terrorism that is now feeling the heat itself.