Following a 20-year insurgency and the departure of coalition forces, the Taliban recaptured Kabul in August 2021, overthrowing the Islamic Republic, and now controls all of Afghanistan. Immediately after the Taliban return to power it was greatly hoped that the new Talban regime in Kabul will be a Pakistan friendly Govt. but unfortunately it proved to be the exact opposite because the new Taliban regime in Kabul has proved to be not only unfriendly but also extremely hostile and antagonistic. Since the second takeover of the Taliban relations between the two countries have gone from bad to worse and there appears to be no end to the deterioration in relations.

The negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan mediated by Turkey and Qatar in Istanbul were deadlocked twice and then collapsed completely in utter failure and this exercise shows the complexity of Pak-Afghan relations. There is no other country in the world that has such close historical, cultural, linguistic, economic and commercial relations than Pakistan. Afghanistan needs Pakistan more than any other country because about 80% of their trade goes through Pakistan and as a landlocked country Pakistan is now an economic necessity for Afghanistan. Historically speaking relations between the two countries have been sour since the day the Afghan Govt. refused to accept the Durand........

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