Militant groups fuel historic Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes
Amin Rezaei-Nejad
Clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan have flared up in recent days, with Pakistani officials describing the situation as an “open war.” The fighting, marked by air and ground assaults from both sides, has sharply escalated months of simmering border tensions. Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of harboring and supporting militant groups such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and has recently portrayed the Taliban as a tool in India’s hands. In response, the Taliban accuses Pakistan of military aggression, repeated violations of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and targeting civilians. In an interview with Iran Daily, Amin Rezaei-Nejad, an expert on subcontinent affairs, said the current clashes are rooted in longstanding border disputes but are now being driven by differing positions on Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, as well as the absence of a stabilizing power in the subcontinent.
IRAN DAILY: What are the historical and geopolitical roots of tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and which factor is more decisive today?
REZAEI-NEJAD: The main driver of this conflict goes back to the history of the two countries and the Durand Line, the border separating them, which Afghanistan has never recognized. Since the formation of Pakistan alongside Afghanistan, and because Kabul has never acknowledged this border, clashes have occurred between the two sides. Pakistan has consistently sought, through interference in Afghanistan and by weakening it, to keep the situation in a state where Kabul would never be able to revive its territorial claims. This is the most traditional and longstanding cause of the disputes.
However, what has triggered the current round of hostilities is the disagreement between the two sides over Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and their differing views of the group. Pakistan considers it entirely a terrorist organization, while Afghanistan sees it as one of the pressure groups that can be used as a leverage against Pakistan. As a result, both countries are now locked in a serious challenge over the TTP. This new phase effectively began with diplomatic rhetoric and has now evolved into an almost slow-moving war that has been ongoing for some time. At times it takes the form of diplomatic confrontation; at other times, border clashes and Pakistani airstrikes. This pattern has kept both sides in their current situation.
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