Perspectives: Militancy, Security & Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

Editor’s Note

This issue of Durand Dispatch: Perspectives examines a decisive turn in the Afghanistan–Pakistan security landscape, marked by cross-border escalation, insurgent adaptation, and political fracture on both sides of the Durand Line.

In October, Pakistan launched rare airstrikes on Kabul, collapsing fragile diplomacy from September and igniting the most direct confrontation with the Taliban since their return to power. Each government has since doubled down: Pakistan through deportations and economic coercion; the Taliban through border closures, defiance, and rhetorical escalation.

At home, Pakistan faced a surge of militant activity that exposed the limits of its counterterrorism strategy. A suicide assault on the Dera Ismail Khan Police Training School, mass abductions in Balochistan, and coordinated strikes on infrastructure revealed a diversified insurgent campaign—targeting not only security forces but also education, healthcare, and economic lifelines. The state’s response under Azm-i-Istehkam eliminated key commanders yet deepened political divisions over the use of force.

Inside Afghanistan, the Taliban’s tightening grip showed growing strain: assassination of a senior official, internal purges, and new restrictions on media and civil society underscored a leadership governing by coercion rather than consensus.

Together, these developments depict a region entering a new phase of instability—where border confrontation, internal repression, and economic disruption are converging.

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