By: S.K. Sami
Though many Pakistani politicians, intellectuals, nationalist parties, and even retired army officers believe that Pakistan’s interference in Afghanistan is the main reason behind the current wave of militancy and unrest within the country, whether that involvement was during the 1980s against the Soviet Union or after 2004 onward against the United States and NATO. This perception is not entirely unfounded. However, beyond financial and strategic considerations, the withdrawal of these global powers from Afghanistan was perhaps also essential for Pakistan’s own survival and reorientation.
If one examines historically, Afghanistan has often functioned as a weapon and volatile state, the land where external powers and internal factions have repeatedly wielded influence to serve their respective agendas. Every force that gained a foothold there has, at some point, used Afghanistan as a staging ground to project power or destabilize others.
In the current geopolitical landscape, India neither occupies Afghanistan nor shares any direct border with it, yet its growing influence in Afghan affairs demonstrates how Afghanistan continues to serve as a strategic leverage point against Pakistan. This underscores a recurring reality: domination over Afghanistan by any major power inevitably translates into influence over the entire region.
However, expecting peace at home while pointing fingers at the neighbors is akin to “a bad workman blaming his tools.” every state must recognize that enduring peace begins within. Strengthening internal security, improving governance, addressing socio-economic grievances, and building political consensus are vital steps toward stability.
After Pak-Afghan peace talk concluded without conclusion, any direct action from Pakistan inside Afghanistan with stance to eliminate terrorism may justify unlawful repeated aggression from India over Azad Kashmir, Palwama attack and other parts of Pakistan in the past. Not only, but around 378 drone strikes from 2004 to 2018, the United States carried out in predominantly targeting the ex FATA along the Afghan border as well.
Rather than viewing Afghanistan solely as the source of its troubles, the government of Pakistan should focus on reinforcing its own institutional resilience, equal justice. Only then can it effectively manage external challenges and chart a path toward lasting peace and prosperity.
The writer is Resident Editor of Country News and can be reached to on: sami.kpk@gmail.com