Pakistan’s airstrikes on Kabul on Thursday night — timed just hours after Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi landed in New Delhi — have raised sharp questions about Islamabad’s intent and its growing anxiety over India’s deepening engagement with Afghanistan.
According to reports, Pakistani fighter jets carried out multiple strikes near Shahid Abdul Haq Square in Kabul, reportedly targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Noor Wali Mehsud. The operation came amid soaring tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban regime, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting the TTP.
The timing, however, has sparked speculation that Pakistan’s military action was not only aimed at eliminating TTP leadership but also at sending a strong political message — both to the Taliban and to India. Muttaqi’s visit marks the highest-level contact between New Delhi and Kabul since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, signaling India’s gradual re-engagement in Afghanistan.
For Pakistan, this diplomatic development is deeply unsettling. Historically, Islamabad has viewed Afghanistan as part of its strategic sphere of influence and relied on the Taliban as a proxy ally to counter Indian presence in the region. India’s outreach, therefore, threatens Pakistan’s long-cherished “strategic depth” doctrine — the idea of having a friendly regime in Kabul to safeguard its western flank against India.
Adding to the tension, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had, just a day before the airstrikes, issued a blunt warning to the Taliban in Parliament, declaring that Pakistan’s “patience has run out” over Afghanistan’s continued harboring of militants. His remarks — “Enough is enough” — preceded the strikes that many analysts now see as both retaliation for TTP attacks and a symbolic show of strength amid diplomatic unease.
The TTP, led by Noor Wali Mehsud since 2018, has mounted some of the deadliest assaults on Pakistani security forces in recent years. The latest attack on October 8 left 11 soldiers, including two senior officers, dead near the Afghan border. Though Pakistani media initially claimed Mehsud was killed in the strikes, an audio message later surfaced with him denying the reports and claiming to be safe.
Former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad described Pakistan’s action as a “huge escalation,” warning that it risks igniting a dangerous regional conflict. He also accused Islamabad of “recklessly backing ISIS elements” while simultaneously fighting Baloch insurgents — a claim that highlights the tangled web of alliances and rivalries in the Af-Pak region.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Asif, in a striking admission on social media, said Pakistan was now “paying the price” for hosting millions of Afghan refugees for six decades, adding that “the time has come for Afghan guests to return to their homes.”
Against this backdrop, Muttaqi’s India visit — including meetings with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval — represents a significant diplomatic milestone for the Taliban government. Though India has not officially recognized the Taliban regime, it has maintained a pragmatic engagement focused on humanitarian aid and regional stability.
For Pakistan, however, this convergence of events — India’s visible diplomatic outreach and the Taliban’s growing independence — underscores a shifting power equation in South Asia. The airstrikes on Kabul, therefore, are not just a counterterror operation but also a reflection of Islamabad’s unease over losing strategic ground to New Delhi in a region it once considered its uncontested backyard.
