Pakistan Resumes Old Proxy Strategy Against Taliban, Risks Backfire
Pakistan is reportedly arming Afghan groups to counter insurgents, raising concerns over potential repercussions for its own security.
New Delhi, October 25 (Daily Kiran) : Pakistan’s military establishment appears to be reverting to an old strategy against its former ally, the Afghan Taliban. According to a recent report, Islamabad is allegedly recruiting Afghan factions and supplying them with weapons to combat insurgent groups opposing the government. However, this approach may backfire on Pakistan.
Concerns have been raised by Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan, regarding this development. He cited reports indicating that the Pakistani military has begun arming Afghans to confront terrorist groups that threaten Islamabad.
Khalilzad warned that the current situation could further deteriorate relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. In response, Pakistan’s information ministry dismissed these allegations as “baseless and misleading.” Despite this denial, analysts believe the move reflects a long-standing strategic mindset within Pakistan’s security establishment.
For nearly four decades, Islamabad has viewed the Afghan Taliban as a strategic asset. The primary goal has been to prevent India from increasing its influence in Afghanistan while ensuring a favorable government in Kabul. However, relations between the two have soured, especially with the ongoing low-intensity conflict involving Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) along the border.
Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering TTP members within its territory. Despite Islamabad’s efforts to pressure Kabul into taking action against the TTP, the desired outcomes have not materialized. The report indicates that Islamabad, frustrated by Kabul’s refusal to rein in its ideological allies, seems to be returning to its historical strategy—using proxies to counter proxies.
This strategy, however, is fraught with risks. Pakistan’s history shows that utilizing terrorist organizations to further its interests abroad has often backfired. Groups that were once supported to fight in other countries have turned their sights back on Pakistan itself.
The report suggests that arming new Afghan factions to suppress the TTP could lead to the emergence of uncontrolled local militias. This poses a threat of escalating violence in an already unstable border region. Recent artillery exchanges between Pakistani forces and the Afghan Taliban in Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province highlight this volatility. Pakistani officials claimed they destroyed Taliban border posts during these clashes.
The report concludes that the factions Pakistan has supported to secure its western border now represent some of its most significant security challenges. If the claims regarding arming new Afghan groups are confirmed, it will mark a risky decision by nuclear-armed Pakistan. The report warns that in attempting to manage past threats, Pakistan may inadvertently create new adversaries for the future.
