It was 30th August 2021. American forces withdrew from Afghanistan after invading it in 2001. Over 50 countries had participated in the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, as part of the initial NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and, subsequently, the Resolute Support mission. What was thought to be a few months’ expedition went on for two decades. The estimated expenditure of the war in Afghanistan for only the United States was approximately $2.3 trillion, according to a detailed analysis by the Costs of War Project at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A.

The expectation in Pakistan was that, after being involved in wars since 1979, the new Afghan Taliban government would be looking for a peaceful neighbourhood, in which relations with Pakistan would be brotherly. It is to be remembered that, post the 1979 Russian invasion, it was Pakistan which opened its doors and hearts to welcome millions of Afghan refugees, peaking at over 4 million by 2001.

But this was not to be. The Pakistani government in the last three years has repeatedly expressed "grave concern" and issued demarches to the Afghan Taliban regime, accusing them of providing a "permissive environment" and active support/facilitation to the TTP (also known as FAK) and other anti-Pakistan terrorist groups. Pakistan claims these groups use Afghanistan as a base of operations for cross-border attacks and has conducted airstrikes in response.

The Afghan Taliban government has consistently denied these accusations, stating it is committed to its international obligations not to........

© The Friday Times