THE recent escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan resulted in engagement of multiple locations, especially in the Afghan provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika.

It has once again brought the precarious security dynamic along the Durand Line into clear focus. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have been targeted by these strikes, which have been described as “intelligence-based and selective” operations. They were a direct response to a devastating spate of terrorist attacks on Pakistani territory, most notably the suicide bombing at an Islamabad mosque, which claimed forty lives recently. Despite the Afghan Taliban government in Kabul’s vehement condemnation of the action as a violation of its sovereignty and the reported civilian casualties, it is imperative to assess Pakistan’s right to respond to such existential threats in accordance with established international law. If a state’s territorial integrity and citizenry are threatened from across a border, this law establishes a clear framework for the right to self-protection. The United Nations Charter forbids acts of terrorism across international borders (Article 2(4)). Article 51 protects the inherent right of states to self-defence in the event of an armed assault.

Pakistan now invokes this provision. In Islamabad, the unyielding campaign of cross-border terrorism conducted by the TTP represents a definitive assault, which compelled Pakistan to take action. Statistics........

© Pakistan Observer