Opinion | Pakistan’s forever war and the politics of exhaustion

The latest exchange of air strikes and border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan has once again pushed the region to the brink, reviving a dread among those who have lived through this cycle before, the continuation of a war that never truly ended.

The so-called war on terror has been waged for over two decades, with no end in sight. Since 2001, the war has claimed more than 33,000 civilian and security forces lives in Pakistan and displaced millions internally. Yet a fundamental question remains unanswered: who exactly is the enemy?

In the 1990s, Pakistan’s deep state supported the rise of the Afghan Taliban and was among the few to formally recognise the regime. After September 11, Pakistan became a key non-Nato ally of the United States in the war on terror. During this period, the state operated on a dangerous and confusing binary of good Taliban and bad Taliban. Those fighting Nato forces across the border were often seen as strategic assets, while those turning inwards, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), were labelled as enemies.

This ambiguity proved to be catastrophic. The TTP, formed in 2007 as an alliance of militant groups in the tribal areas, expanded amid this confusion, ushering in Pakistan’s deadliest phase of terrorism. Suicide bombings, assassinations and attacks on civilians became routine. Multiple militant outfits operated simultaneously. Military operations followed one after another. Millions were displaced internally. Thousands lost their lives, homes and livelihoods.

When the US exited Afghanistan and the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021, Islamabad initially welcomed the development, believing a friendly regime had finally emerged next door. That optimism has since evaporated. Relations deteriorated sharply, with Pakistan accusing Kabul of sheltering and supporting the TTP, as evidenced by UN reports of safe havens and the release of scores of TTP prisoners by the Taliban post-takeover. Kabul denies this, blaming Pakistan’s internal failures and retaliating with border incursions.