Afghanistan is giving Pakistan a lesson on terror and diplomacy it needs to learn

Pakistan has long been a nation marked by deceit, hypocrisy, hatred and a reputation for fostering terrorism. Its ongoing hostility with India fuelled by its terror networks has led to widespread violence in Jammu and Kashmir claiming countless innocent lives. Despite India’s persistent calls to dismantle these terror hubs and cease exporting terrorism, Pakistan has consistently denied or ignored these pleas.

Now, Pakistan is encountering a situation strikingly similar to the one it has often imposed on India.

A taste of its own medicine

Following the recent terrorist attack on the Bannu Cantonment, which resulted in the deaths of eight military personnel and injuries to many others, Pakistan has called for “immediate, robust, and effective action” by the interim Afghan government against the perpetrators. The deputy head of mission of the Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to receive Pakistan’s strong demarche regarding the deadly attack. Islamabad reiterated its serious concerns over the presence of terrorist groups within Afghanistan that continue to threaten Pakistan’s security.

The attack on the Bannu Cantonment was carried out by the Afghanistan-based Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group. The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has also executed numerous attacks within Pakistan. The demarche said that the Bannu Cantonment attack was another stark reminder of the severe threat terrorism posed to regional peace and security.

It reiterated serious concerns over the presence of terrorist groups within Afghanistan that continue to threaten Pakistan’s security. Pakistan has consistently raised these concerns with the interim Afghan government urging them to prevent terrorists from using Afghan soil and to take effective action against such elements. However, Kabul has so far dismissed these concerns denying the presence of terrorists on its soil.

Doesn’t Pakistan respond in a similar way when India sends demarches and dossiers?

Just as Pakistan has consistently denied or disputed allegations and evidence presented by India, Afghanistan has similarly dismissed Pakistan’s concerns about terrorism from its soil.

Pakistan won’t be a saint overnight

Perhaps now, after suffering significant military losses, Pakistan is forced to engage with Afghanistan, seeking an immediate halt to these terror incidents. However, it is highly unlikely that Pakistan will empathise with India’s situation and change its ways despite facing similar challenges. Instead, it continues to export hardened terrorists to the relatively peaceful region of Jammu, equipping them with advanced communication systems and weapons from China.

India has often issued demarches and dossiers to Pakistan primarily concerning terrorism and security issues. Following major attacks in India believed to be carried out by terrorists having links to Pakistan-based terrorist organisations, India has demarched Pakistan to take action against groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Similarly, along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, India has issued demarches to protest against ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces.

India has also handed over dossiers to Pakistan with evidence of terrorist activities, infiltration attempts and support to terrorist organisations. Notable examples include the post-26/11 Mumbai attacks, where India presented multiple dossiers to Pakistan with detailed evidence of LeT’s involvement including the role of Ajmal Kasab, a Pakistani national. Following the Pathankot Air Base attack in 2016, India shared evidence of JeM’s involvement including call records. After the Pulwama attack in 2019, India handed over dossiers providing evidence of JeM’s role and the involvement of its leader Masood Azhar. Similarly, after the Indian Air Force conducted airstrikes on a JeM training camp in Balakot, Pakistan, in 2019, India issued a demarche outlining the reasons for the strikes and evidence of terrorist activities at the targeted location.

These demarches and dossiers are frequently shared with international partners to apply diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to act against terrorist organisations, forming part of India’s broader counter-terrorism strategy to isolate these groups and their supporters. However, Pakistan often disputes or rejects the evidence presented in these dossiers.

In this context, Afghanistan might be imparting a lesson that Pakistan needs to learn.