Taliban Accused of Staging Regional Crisis Amid Pakistan Strikes on Militants in Kabul

Pakistan justifies its portrayal of regional instability by pointing to the presence of Pakistani separatist leaders in Kabul. In its recent strikes, Pakistan has targeted its own dissidents who are currently residing in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Several key issues have emerged:

1. Afghanistan, under the second rule of the Taliban, has once again become a hub for terrorism and a haven for foreign militants. In their first reign, the Taliban’s harboring of al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden led to a foreign invasion. This time, the Taliban’s support of groups like Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jaish al-Adl, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and remnants of ISIS and al-Qaeda, under figures such as Noor Wali Mehsud, could serve as similar justification.

2. While war itself is reprehensible and violating a neighbor’s sovereignty is condemnable, Pakistan’s actions cannot be fully defined as a violation of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity under international law. Pakistan has not claimed territorial rights over Afghanistan, has not occupied Afghan land, nor attacked Afghan officials. It has instead targeted Pakistani dissidents who have taken refuge in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Interestingly, the Taliban themselves have engaged in similar actions. Last year, the group attempted to abduct Qari Isa Mohammadi in Mashhad, and just a few days ago, they assassinated Maroof Ghulami, a commander affiliated with Ismail Khan, also in Mashhad.

If Pakistan’s strike on its dissidents in Kabul is considered an act of aggression, then similarly, Taliban attacks on their opponents within Iran would also constitute aggression against Iran.

3. Although Pakistan’s actions in targeting its dissidents on Afghan soil are reprehensible—and had Afghanistan a legitimate government, it should have pursued accountability through legal channels—nearly all regional states have carried out similar operations. Pakistan has targeted its opponents in Iran; Israel has conducted military strikes on multiple nations; Iran has hit opposition groups in Pakistan and Iraq with missile attacks; and the US and Russia have also carried out such operations multiple times, none of which resulted in such theatrics.

The Taliban’s reaction to Pakistan’s actions appears disproportionate. While they must respond to Pakistan’s incursion into Afghan territory, their behavior so far does not reflect a rational legal response or even a strategic military deterrence. Instead, it resembles a theatrical display seemingly aimed at stoking further conflict.

4. This drama appears to be connected to recent events: the frequent visits of Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir to Washington, the extended trips of Sirajuddin Haqqani to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and President Trump’s decision to return to Bagram Airfield. Though the exact scenario remains unclear, there’s a growing sense—like a sheep watching a butcher sharpening his knife—that major unrest looms.

5. Some are now posturing patriotically and speaking out against Pakistan. To them, two questions are posed:

First, why do these displays of patriotism not emerge when the Taliban commits atrocities against its own citizens? Have they not killed countless people? Have they not, in recent days, displaced thousands of innocent compatriots in Nawabad, Ghazni? Is this not a case of double standards?

Second, if Pakistan’s attack on its own dissidents in Afghanistan is aggression, why wasn’t its attack on Afghan citizens in Panjshir—aimed at securing Taliban control—not considered aggression? Where were these vocal patriots when Pakistan supported the Taliban’s brutalities in those days?

Finally, suppose similar actions were taken by the US, Russia, India, or Iran—what stance would these people adopt?

This is not to justify Pakistan’s airstrikes, but rather to highlight that, due to various factors, Afghanistan is inherently vulnerable to such incidents. Therefore, the Taliban’s recent saber-rattling toward Pakistan raises questions about its true intentions.

The true motives behind this maneuver likely won’t remain hidden for long.

— Seyyed Ahmad Mousavi Mobalegh