Pakistan’s ‘Open War’ Gamble – OpEd |
While Islamabad has repeatedly been asking Kabul to take action against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP] terrorist group which it alleges operates from Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces [CDF] Field Marshal Asim Munir has been more blunt on this issue. In January 2024, he had declared that “When the security of each Pakistani is at stake, Afghanistan can be condemned and cursed as a whole,” and more recently, warned Kabul to choose between Pakistan and TTP. This is why Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s recent declaration of an “open war” against Afghanistan should not have come as a surprise but it has, and there are major reasons for this.
One, at a time when the Pakistan army already has its hands full fighting TTP in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [KP] and armed groups in Balochistan, opening yet another ‘front’ defies the very basic tenets of military prudence. Two, Pakistan Chief of Defence Forces [CDF] Field Marshal Asim Munir would be well aware that terrorism can’t be eradicated through use of force alone. So, with a man in uniform at the helm of affairs, the obvious question that arises is- what compelled the Field Marshal to take the rash and militarily unsound decision of going to war with Afghanistan at a juncture when his troops are already heavily committed in KP and Balochistan? The answer can be found in the question itself- this decision was a desperation-driven compulsion to save face.
The problem with Field Marshal Munir is his habit of trying to put up appearances by talking tough and thinking that his threats would create fear........