Friday, July 23, 2021

Pakistan’s Security Establishment Is Cheering The Taliban’s Recent Military Gains In Afghanistan. Will They Come to Regret It?

In this file photo, an army soldier stands guard along the newly fenced part of the Pak-Afghan border after Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa inaugurated the fencing work near the Panjpai area of Balochistan.—AFP/File  

Husain Haqqani, Foreign Affairs: Pakistan’s Pyrrhic Victory in Afghanistan  

Islamabad Will Come to Regret Aiding the Taliban’s Resurgence 

Pakistan’s security establishment is cheering the Taliban’s recent military gains in Afghanistan. The country’s hard-liners have funneled support to the Taliban for decades, and they can now envision their allies firmly ensconced in Kabul. Pakistan got what it wished for—but will come to regret it. A Taliban takeover will leave Pakistan more vulnerable to extremism at home and potentially more isolated on the world stage. 

 The end of the United States’ 20-year war in Afghanistan also promises to mark a turning point in its relationship with Islamabad. Pakistan has long veiled its ambitions in Afghanistan to maintain relations with Washington, but that balancing act—seen in Washington as a double game—will prove impossible in the event that a reconstituted Islamic emirate is established in Kabul. This would not be the vindication that Pakistan’s military is expecting: the Taliban are less likely to defer to Pakistan in their moment of triumph, and the Americans are not likely to reconcile with the group over the long term. Pakistan’s nightmare scenario would be to find itself caught between an uncontrollable Taliban and international demands to rein them in.

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: It is going to take decades for Pakistan's relations with the West to return to normal. And there will be a price that Pakistan will have to pay. 

My prediction. 

Do not be surprised if Pakistan is designated as a state sponsor of terror if the Taliban and its allies succeed in taking over Afghanistan.

2 comments:

Jac said...

Pakistan has always playing with fire. Time will come for burning their fingers.

Anonymous said...

"Do not be surprised if Pakistan is designated as a state sponsor of terror if the Taliban and its allies succeed in taking over Afghanistan."

That statement, that truth right there, just how was the US going to win with that asymmetrical advantage that the Taliban had.

Trump was right.

Milley never pointed this out loudly enough to change American policy. Maybe Milley brought it up behind close doors. It was a dark closet and in his transsexual little girls voice he told herself with great conviction that the US would never win so long as Pakistan was assisting the Taliban. Confession made, she opened the door and played ball the Washington DC way.