Pakistan Stands Firm Against Terror Despite Afghan Betrayal

Pakistan Stands Firm Against Terror Despite Afghan Betrayal

The recent flareup along the Pakistan and Afghan border says a lot about where things stand between the two countries. While Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was busy talking peace in New Delhi, Afghan forces were opening fire across the frontier. It is a strange kind of diplomacy when the people preaching calm abroad are the same ones letting guns speak at home. Pakistan sees a similar pattern here. Every time Kabul turns up the diplomatic charm, there is a corresponding surge of trouble along the border. This latest episode, timed so neatly with Mr. Muttaqi’s India visit, feels more like a coordinated message than coincidence. Islamabad’s reading is simple i.e., the aggression on the frontier is meant to give Kabul and Delhi a bit of political leverage and to test the patience of Pakistan.

A Familiar Game

Looking closely, it is said that the attacks were not random. Skirmishes broke out in several provinces almost simultaneously, which suggests someone higher up was calling the shots. Whether that coordination was purely internal or had outside encouragement, it is hard to ignore the bigger picture; someone benefits from keeping Pakistan busy and Afghanistan unstable. Kabul keeps saying it wants dialogue and peace, but allowing such aggression right after public calls for calm makes its leadership look dishonest or disorganized, maybe both.

An individual cannot claim to want regional harmony while sheltering groups that cross the border to kill soldiers and civilians.

The Shadow of India

Meanwhile, it is no secret that India has long seen Afghanistan as a useful piece on the regional chessboard. Hosting Muttaqi while his men are trading fire with Pakistani forces does not help its image. To many in Pakistan, that timing looks like a calculated two front tactic  pressure in the east through Kashmir, and distraction in the west through Kabul.

The Response of Pakistan

Moreover, Pakistan’s military has not taken the bait. Its response so far has been measured, focused on known threats rather than broad retaliation. The operations have been intelligence driven and defensive, not about escalating a wider fight. The goal is to protect the border, not to turn the region into another battlefield. That kind of restraint takes discipline, especially when troops are being fired on. But it also shows Pakistan is not interested in emotional or political showdowns. It is about security, not spectacle.

Kabul’s Trust Deficit

In fact, the real issue is trust. The leadership of Afghanistan keeps saying they do not support the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), yet evidence keeps piling up that the group operates freely on Afghan soil. Every time Kabul ignores that, it weakens its own credibility. By turning a blind eye to militants, the Taliban government is alienating the one neighbor that has done the most for ordinary Afghans. For decades, Pakistan has provided education, healthcare, trade routes, and refuge for millions. That generosity has not just been humanitarian, it has been a lifeline. But it is hard to keep helping when the same people you support let gunmen fire at your soldiers.

Propaganda Front

Moving forward, there is also a digital side to this fight. Pro Taliban social media accounts have been recycling old battle clips and claiming new victories that are the usual disinformation strategy. It is the same kind of thing seen from Indian networks like exaggerate, distort, and distract. But videos do not change facts. Afghan forces fired first, Pakistan defended itself, and civilians once again paid the price for leaders who cannot control their own fighters.
Moving forward, there is something painful about all this. Pakistan has hosted Afghan refugees for over forty years, often at great cost. It kept borders open, allowed trade, and offered medical care and schooling when no one else would. Yet, when Kabul gets a chance to stand on its own feet, it turns around and takes shots  literally  at the hand that helped it. This kind of ingratitude would not just hurt Pakistan’s trust, it will isolate Afghanistan even more. With the economy in ruins and aid drying up, Afghanistan cannot afford to alienate the few neighbors still willing to deal with it in good faith.

Choosing the Wrong Friends

Furthermore, by cozying up to extremist groups and entertaining India’s attention while ignoring its own people’s misery, the Taliban leadership is digging itself deeper into a hole. Those alliances might bring short term political satisfaction, but they do nothing for the hungry families and struggling traders who need stability. Afghanistan does not have to be a pawn in someone else’s regional game. But to step out of that role, it will have to act like a responsible state by stopping the cross-border attacks, harboring militants, and confusing aggression with strength.

Pakistan Stands Firm

Hence, as for Pakistan, the message is clear that its resolve is not shaken. This country has spent decades fighting terrorism and burying its martyrs. It has learned the hard way that appeasement does not buy peace, vigilance does.

The current aggression may frustrate Islamabad, but it would not derail its commitment to defending its people and maintaining stability.

Further, Pakistan has no appetite for endless hostility, but it also would not bow to pressure or propaganda. Afghanistan’s betrayal might sting, but it would not break Pakistan’s focus.