Denying safe havens
July 6, 2021
In the wake of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Afghan Taliban have increased their activities to gain control of Afghanistan’s rural districts and some provincial capitals. They are also preparing for a large-scale offensive in the northern districts where other ethnic groups reside.
There is a fear that after the complete withdrawal of US forces other elements like Al-Qaeda, ISIS, the Islamic State of Khorasan (ISK), TTP and LeJ etc might join hands to achieve their larger objective of forming a Sunni Theocratic Fundamentalist Islamic State.
In this situation, Pakistan risks a resurgence of violence sponsored from Afghanistan by anti-Pakistan forces to export extremism. These outfits will remain a problem for Pakistan until the future Afghan government reciprocates with a hand of friendship and both countries agree that their land will not be used for militancy in other countries. The Taliban in their previous stint in power also trie