Blowback: On Pakistan, Afghanistan and insurgency

Context: Pakistan and Afghanistan carried out retaliatory airstrikes against each other.

• Pakistan alleged it struck the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in response to terror attacks.
• The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan(Pakistani Taliban) is a militant group with the goal to overthrow the Pakistani government and establish a strict Islamic state.

Pakistan’s historic support to Afghanistan:

• Pakistan historically supported the Taliban against U.S. backed Afghan governments.
• Pakistan expected to strengthen its strategic presence through a client regime in Kabul after the Taliban’s return but faced setbacks.

Key concerns in Pakistan Afghanistan relation:

• The Durand Line, a contested border, between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• The Taliban’s return has strengthened the TTP security concern for Pakistan.
• Taliban and TTP share Pashtun ethnicity and Deobandi interpretation of Islam.

Source: The Hindu