New Delhi: A cup of tea as soon as shared in Kabul is now haunting Pakistan’s rulers. It was the autumn of 2021 when the Taliban had simply taken over Afghanistan. Cameras flashed as Pakistan’s then Inter-Companies Intelligence chief Faiz Hameed smiled over a cup of tea in a resort in Afghanistan’s capital. Mild-hearted on the time, that picture now burns like acid via Islamabad’s political veins.
In latest weeks, Pakistan has been shaken by threats from the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Movies of armed commanders, messages of vengeance and warnings of assaults deep contained in the nation’s territory have stuffed the web.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar admitted that the tea as soon as shared with the Taliban has develop into “too pricey to swallow”.
Behind the irony lies a grim actuality. Pakistan’s decades-long coverage of nurturing the Taliban as a regional pawn has turned towards it. The identical Taliban authorities that after welcomed Pakistani generals now accuses Islamabad of violating Afghan sovereignty.
Talks Flip Poisonous
Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached a breaking level. In Ankara, the place the third spherical of negotiations is happening, tempers are rising. Pakistan calls for that the Afghan Taliban dismantle TTP hideouts alongside the border. Kabul refuses. It insists these fighters are “brothers in religion”, not enemies.
The Afghan Taliban’s silence speaks volumes. Their management, rooted in Pashtun tribal id, won’t flip its weapons on their very own kin.
Led by Discipline Marshal Asim Munir, the Pakistani navy calls this stance a betrayal. However inside Afghanistan, many see the neighbour’s Military chief himself as the issue.
Afghan newspapers are actually brazenly criticising him. An editorial in Al-Mirsad lately requested, “Is Asim Munir commanding the military or digging Pakistan’s political grave?” It accused him of turning the navy right into a political machine that serves slim pursuits relatively than nationwide stability.
From Brothers To Enemies
When Munir turned the chief of military employees in November 2022, the ceasefire with the TTP collapsed inside days. By 2023, Pakistan started expelling Afghan refugees, triggering outrage in Kabul. In 2024, Pakistani jets bombed Taliban-held border provinces. The Taliban retaliated with lethal strikes that killed over 2,500 on either side.
By mid-2025, the 2 nations had been getting ready to battle. Taliban’s rockets hit Pakistani checkpoints. Pakistan’s airstrikes deepened the hostility. Beneath stress, Islamabad was compelled to return to the negotiating desk in October. However the Taliban got here again stronger, extra assured and unafraid.
Pakistan’s Concern Inside
For Islamabad, the nightmare is now not restricted to the Afghan border. The TTP has resurfaced inside Punjab, the nation’s political and navy coronary heart. In a latest video, Taliban commanders from Pishin, Lakki Marwat, Mohmand and Bajaur declared they had been already “inside Pakistan”. “We strike after we want, the place we want,” they warned.
The footage confirmed their faces, weapons and confidence. It was filmed inside Pakistani territory. For Munir’s military, it was a humiliation. As soon as feared, Pakistan’s intelligence networks have didn’t comprise the insurgency.
Over the previous 12 months, 22 splinter teams of the TTP have rejoined the primary organisation. The whole quantity has gone as much as 75 since 2020. Amongst them is the Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction, which is chargeable for a number of the deadliest ambushes on Pakistani troops.
Even Baloch insurgent teams are actually linking up with the Taliban, increasing the insurgency’s attain.
Surrounded On All Sides
The map of Pakistan now glows with instability. To the west, Taliban fighters dominate the Afghan frontier. To the southwest, Baloch militants strengthen their grip close to Iran. From Khyber to Punjab, revolt simmers.
Inside the military, morale is low. Economically, the nation is gasping. Pakistan’s international debt now equals 35 p.c of its GDP. Development has slowed to 2.5 p.c. Reserves hover close to $10 billion, barely sufficient for 4 months of imports.
With battle out of attain and peace slipping away, Islamabad’s choices are vanishing. The Taliban realize it. Their negotiators now meet Pakistan’s envoys as equals, not dependents. For the primary time in historical past, Kabul seems to be Pakistan within the eye and refuses to blink.
The Bitter Aftertaste
What started as a photo-op (a cup of tea shared in celebration) has became a curse. The Taliban’s rise was as soon as Pakistan’s triumph. Right now, it’s Pakistan’s undoing.
The tea has gone chilly. However its bitterness nonetheless lingers on the tongues of generals, ministers and males who as soon as believed they might sip energy and swallow peace in the identical breath.