Pakistan's strikes on Afghanistan are a strategic blunder that the country simply cannot afford. With debt-to-GDP at 74.5% and interest payments consuming nearly 8% of GDP, escalation drives up risk premiums and forces brutal austerity on an already strained public. Afghanistan has outlasted empires by enduring, not winning outright, and Islamabad's fiscal and internal constraints make a prolonged confrontation self-defeating.
Pakistan's military response to cross-border terrorism is a necessary act of self-defense against a Taliban regime that actively shelters TTP and IMP militants launching attacks on Pakistani civilians and security forces. The Afghan Taliban are fragmented, ideologically rigid and completely unwilling to honor UN resolutions demanding denial of sanctuary to terror networks. Kinetic pressure, paired with diplomacy and regional coordination, is the only realistic path to dismantling these threats.
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 7.4.1