The current military and political tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan is not merely a result of recent events, but a continuation of the political, military, and diplomatic policies pursued by both sides over the past eight decades.

Pakistan's first Governor-General, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, addressing the Constituent Assembly in August 1947, expressed a desire for friendly and peaceful relations with neighbouring countries, particularly Afghanistan, Iran, and India. However, ground realities proved otherwise.

To understand the current deadlock, we must confront history. Tensions between the two countries became prominent immediately after the Partition of India. In September 1947, Afghanistan was the only country to vote against Pakistan's membership in the United Nations, a clear indication of future disagreements. The fundamental conflict has persisted over the Durand Line, which Kabul refused to recognise, instead supporting "Pashtunistan" movements within Pakistan. The declaration of the Durand Line as illegal by the Afghan Loya Jirga in 1949, and the attack by the Afghan army on Bajaur in 1960 under Prime Minister Daoud Khan, were continuations of this policy.

During General Zia-ul-Haq's era, amid the Soviet-Afghan War (1979–1989), Pakistan, with American and Saudi support, organised the Afghan Mujahideen. This policy was, on one hand, a proxy war against the Soviet Union, and on the other, a source of internal justification for the Zia regime on religious grounds. As a result, arms, militancy, narcotics, and religious extremism took strong root in Pakistan, the effects of which are still felt today.

This strategy was repeated during the Afghan civil war in the 1990s. The ISI played a key role in the formation and patronage of the Taliban around 1994, aiming to achieve "strategic depth" and establish a friendly government in Kabul. The result was that Pakistan became one of only three countries to recognise the first government of the Taliban Emirate (1992–2001).

How Decades Of Proxy Strategy Shaped Today’s Pakistan–Afghanistan Tensions

After September 11, 2001, General Pervez Musharraf's........

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