The hidden fronts targeting Pakistan’s security |
IN relation to 9/11, the former head of the ISI, General Hamid Gul (may he rest in peace), used to say, “The 9/11 drama, Afghanistan as the base and Pakistan as the target.”
Today, in the light of the current severe circumstances, the phrase “Iran as a pretext, Pakistan as the target” resonates. Currently, the alliance of the four — the United States, Israel, India and Afghanistan — against Pakistan has been exposed in the Israeli Knesset (Parliament). During a speech there, Pakistan’s perennial enemy, the butcher of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, declared that India is the mother and Israel is the father. The announcement of a special aid package for the Afghan Taliban is clear evidence that Hindus and Jews are now collaborating to use Afghanistan against Pakistan. Afghanistan is waging a proxy war for India.
People may recall that on February 26, 2019, India attacked Pakistan and once again, the date of February 26 was chosen to launch another attack through Afghanistan. India has been tasked with weakening Pakistan at any cost. On one side, while Iran faces attacks from the US and Israel, on the other, India is trying to entangle Pakistan through Afghanistan. “Iran as a pretext, Pakistan as the target.” Iran seeks to acquire nuclear capabilities, whereas Pakistan is the only nuclear power in the Muslim world. There is no doubt that our nuclear program “irritates the hearts of our enemies.” Since the day Pakistan became a nuclear power, both its overt enemies and those who pose as friends have been restless.
It can be stated without fear of contradiction that India opposes Pakistan’s nuclear program with great intensity and the United States shares the same level of opposition, though it does not openly express its malicious intentions. To strip Pakistan of its status as a nuclear power, tactics such as internal conflict, lawlessness and political instability are essential parts of the nefarious strategy aimed at de-nuclearizing us. I want to remind the Afghan people that Afghanistan is not merely a neighbouring country for Pakistan; our historical, cultural, civilizational and Islamic ideological ties run very deep. There is a question for Amir Khan Muttaqi, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister, who also represents the Islamic Emirate: Their esteemed teacher Mullah Omar destroyed the Buddha statues in Bamiyan and today the descendants of those idol-breakers sit in the lap of what they term infidels and polytheists. The ideology of “Long live the Afghan!” has been buried. It is regrettable that the successors of the idol-breakers are now embracing idol worshippers and launching attacks on Pakistan, which was founded on the basis of “there is no god but Allah,” at the behest of this Hindu capitalist.
Pakistan had hoped that with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the rise of the Afghan Taliban, a new era of peace and stability would begin in the region. However, Pakistan has instead faced severe blows due to attacks on security forces and terrorism, particularly in Baluchistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Reports from the United Nations and the Russian Foreign Ministry reveal alarming developments. The UN highlights the activity and significant capabilities of ISIS-Khorasan near the northern Afghanistan-Pakistan border. According to Russia, Afghanistan hosts 20,000–23,000 terrorists, over half of them foreign nationals, including roughly 3,000 ISIS members and 5,000–7,000 from the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Al-Qaeda, the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and other groups operate training centres across provinces such as Ghazni, Laghman, Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Parwan and Uruzgan, making Afghanistan a critical hub for regional terrorist networks. ISIS-Khorasan has established strong networks in the east and north, aiming to expand into Central Asia. The January 2026 bombing at a Chinese restaurant in Kabul confirms their presence, while synthetic drug smuggling, particularly methamphetamine, is increasing, further destabilizing the region.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the situation in Afghanistan is directly affecting regional peace and stability, raising questions about Russia’s recognition of the Afghan Taliban government. The US left weapons in Kabul, potentially to be used against Pakistan. Afghan Taliban spokesman Noor Wali Mehsud reportedly receives $43,000 monthly, alongside $40 million in weekly aid, while the US has sent $19 billion to the Taliban since 2021. History shows Pakistan did not abandon Afghanistan even when the world did. Despite Afghanistan’s refusal to recognize Pakistan in 1947, from the Soviet invasion in 1979 through the Taliban’s second rule, Pakistan welcomed six million Afghan refugees purely out of humanitarian, fraternal and neighbourly considerations, without adhering to the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol. In return, Afghanistan provided terrorism, attacks on Pakistani outposts, anti-Pakistan plots orchestrated by India, hate speech and safe havens for terrorists. Sadly, the Afghan Taliban government has reflected the saying that “the ungrateful first targets their benefactor,” undermining Pakistan’s sacrifices while contributing to regional instability.
Afghanistan has consistently supported India, allowing its territory to be used for anti-Pakistan actions. Indian consulates in Kabul served as notorious training centres for operatives of India’s RAW agency. Narendra Modi has consistently influenced Afghan leadership, military and intelligence, undermining Pakistan’s peace efforts. Goodwill from Afghanistan has seldom been witnessed. The Taliban government, in power since 2021, has shown hostility toward Pakistan, attacking Muslims while befriending infidels. It bears a responsibility to recognize Pakistan’s sacrifices for peace and not play into India’s hands. Under Operation ‘Bunyān Marṣūs,’ Pakistan defence forces successfully struck critical strategic targets in India without losses. Similarly, Operation ‘Ghazab-lil-Haq’ dismantled Afghan Taliban strongholds: 27 posts destroyed, 9 captured, two core headquarters, three brigade headquarters, two ammunition depots, one logistics base, three battalion headquarters, two sector headquarters and over 80 tanks, artillery and APCs eliminated. Every plot of this alliance is failing and the Pakistan Army has proven a bulwark against their advances, causing these infidels to crumble upon collision.
—The writer is Chairman, Tehrik Jawanan Pakistan.