IN the midst of upheaval in the region, Pakistan has been busy with its own challenges in the neighbourhood. I wrote ‘struggling’ to then replace it with ‘busy’, for most of the reporting and commentary on local platforms is unequivocal about the success of Pakistan’s attacks on Afghanistan, which began some days ago.

The air attacks within the Afghan territory or the skirmishes on the border are not the first of their kind. In the past too, provoked by terrorist attacks, Pakistan has carried out strikes in Afghanistan. This time was no different. From the coordinated attacks across Balochistan to the imambargah suicide bombing in Islamabad, retaliation against Afghanistan was simply a matter of time. It is no secret that the regime in Kabul is doing more than simply providing sanctuary to the TTP and allowing it to pursue its violent agenda in Pakistan. Multiple efforts to address this matter through diplomacy have failed, leaving force as the only option on the table, is the argument.

These assaults are aimed at weakening the TTP based in Afghanistan and raising the costs for the government in Kabul, which, it is hoped, will convince it to rethink its support for the TTP. So far, however, there is no news of the deaths of high-profile TTP leaders, while the jury is still out on the change in behaviour in the Afghan Taliban.

From one vantage point, though, the strikes in Afghanistan seem reactive rather than part of a broader strategy. This is not an easy statement to make because emotions are........

© Dawn