Pakistan's 'Open War' on Afghanistan: A Cycle of Intervention
Behind the sanitized language of national security, Pakistan has initiated airstrikes on Kabul, declaring an 'open war' against its neighbor. This aggressive move follows a series of escalating border clashes and accusations of Afghanistan harboring militants. Al Jazeera correspondents in Kabul reported widespread explosions and anti-aircraft fire, plunging the Afghan capital into renewed chaos.
This is not an isolated incident but a continuation of Pakistan’s complex and often contradictory foreign policy towards Afghanistan. Historically, Pakistan has played a dual role, at times supporting Afghan factions while simultaneously harboring insurgent groups that destabilize the very governments it claims to assist. The Durand Line, a British colonial demarcation from 1893, continues to be a
point of contention, never formally recognized by Afghanistan, and frequently exploited by external powers to engineer divisions and maintain influence. The pattern is clear. In the 1980s, during the Soviet-Afghan War, Pakistan, with significant U.S. backing, became a primary conduit for arms and fighters, profoundly shaping the conflict's outcome and the rise of various armed groups. Today's
strikes echo historical interventions designed to assert regional dominance and manage perceived threats on Pakistan's terms, often with disastrous humanitarian consequences. The international community, largely silent on Pakistan's latest aggression, fails to acknowledge that such actions perpetually undermine any prospect of genuine peace and stability in a region already ravaged by decades of