The recent statement by the chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, asserting that no terrorism is emanating from Afghanistan and that dialogue alone can resolve the province's security crisis, reflects a political position that may resonate with his support base but remains deeply disconnected from empirical evidence, regional security dynamics and Pakistan's own official data.

To assess the credibility of this claim, one must first look beyond Pakistan's borders.

Afghanistan today is far from the stable and controlled entity often portrayed by the Taliban. Over the past month alone, armed resistance against the Taliban has intensified across multiple provinces.

Two organised groups — the National Resistance Front (NRF) and the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) — carried out at least 16 attacks in a single month, killing 48 Taliban fighters, injuring 25 others and destroying several military vehicles. These attacks were not confined to remote areas; they occurred in Kunduz, Panjshir, Baghlan, Faryab, Badakhshan and even Kabul.

The geographical spread of these operations is critical.

Kunduz, long associated with militancy and cross-border movement, once again emerged as the most volatile province. Even more telling were the successful strikes in Kabul, including attacks on intelligence vehicles and checkpoints despite heavy security presence.

When armed groups can repeatedly target intelligence assets in the capital, it exposes serious gaps in surveillance, counterintelligence and governance. A state struggling to contain organised........

© The Express Tribune