Pakistan’s Taliban Problem and the New Fight for the Durand Line

On September 4, 2021, Pakistan's ISI director celebrated the Taliban's peaceful takeover of Kabul they supported.

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Taliban partnership fulfills General Zia's ambition for Pakistan's regional dominance through jihadist groups.

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Pakistan's Taliban peace hopes turned into TTP resurgence, ISIS-K expansion, Baloch militancy, and border clashes.

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Taliban in Afghanistan challenges Pakistan's security, border, and territorial integrity, posing existential concerns.

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Taliban plans: press Durand Line, establish control, erase it, expand Afghanistan, and rewrite colonial history.

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Mullah Omar founded Taliban in Kandahar amid the Afghan Civil War, gaining early success and local support.

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"Taliban Promise": Seize with guerrilla tactics, recruit swiftly, govern through Deobandi-Islamic and Pashtun principles.

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Taliban's Muslim-Pashtun identity, control, and predictability won legitimacy in a chaotic landscape.

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