Pakistan-Afghanistan Post-2021 Relations Under the Taliban 2.0: Challenges, Shifts, Recognition, and Strategic Realignments

Abstract

Pakistan and Afghanistan's post-August 2021 relations are marked by heightened tensions and complex challenges across security, political, and human domains despite a shared border, shared ethnicity, religion, and culture. The main reason is the trust deficit between the two, which has been shaped by several factors, including Indian influence in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s support of a specific group as a strategy of strategic depth in Afghanistan. The Afghan Taliban, who are being considered as the protégés of Islamabad, did not prove to be as friendly as they were in the 1990s or as friendly as they were expected to be. The 2.0 Taliban are quite different from the 1990s 1.0 Taliban of Afghanistan. Most of their policies are based on contradictions to the expectations of Islamabad. The return of the Taliban in August 2021 has brought a new shift in the regional policies, including that of Pakistan. The Taliban’s return has brought nothing to Pakistan but an increase in terrorism and illicit activities. The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has once again reemerged with more strength and an increased number of terrorist activities. This article, based on both primary and secondary sources, will explore how the TTP emerged and its link with the Afghan Taliban. The study will further look into the soft return of the Afghan Taliban to Kabul and the current shifts and challenges regarding trade, security, cross-border movement, and, more particularly, the repatriation of the Afghan refugees.