With the ongoing Afghan Taliban military offensive in Afghanistan against the backdrop of the planned full withdrawal of US-led NATO forces, the uneasy relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan can explode if the Afghan state fails. The Afghan Taliban in Pakistan have not received the same wrath and crackdown from the Pakistani state as the Pakistan Taliban received through operations such as Zarb-e-Azb. For much of the conflict, the Afghan populace has viewed the Pakistani state as a key supporter of the Afghan Taliban group. With the Afghan conventional military struggling against the Taliban, the casualty figures for the Afghan National Defense Forces continue to rise as noted in the recent massacre of 22 Afghan commandos. Hence, Pakistan sees the Afghan Taliban as a more friendly regime compared to a nationalist Afghan one.

Source: Pakistan Today August 05, 2021 18:56 UTC