Pakistan Rejects Legitimacy of Taliban Regime
Pakistan has officially declared the Afghan Taliban government as non-legitimate, distancing itself from the regime it once appeared to tacitly support. The move follows a fresh round of border clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier.
According to Pakistani officials, Taliban forces fired on Pakistani border posts, prompting retaliatory action. Islamabad contends the clashes prove that the Afghan government is failing to control its territory and is thus unfit to be recognized.
Border Violence
Recent confrontations involved exchanges of gunfire and shelling near key border crossings like Torkham and Chaman, which Pakistan has temporarily closed. Islamabad reports having destroyed several Taliban-held posts in retaliation.
The Afghan Taliban have responded by accusing a faction within Pakistan’s military of deliberately instigating conflict. They deny ordering aggressive action on the border.
Wider Context
Tensions have escalated following Pakistan’s repeated claims that Afghan territory harbors Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan. The Afghan government denies supporting or sheltering the TTP.
In the recent clashes, both nations have claimed heavy losses: Afghanistan says it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers overnight, while Pakistan acknowledges lower casualties but claims it inflicted significant Taliban losses.
As the standoff continues, international calls for restraint are growing, and many observers see Pakistan’s disavowal of Taliban legitimacy as a sharp shift in its foreign policy toward Kabul.
