Taliban Capture 7 Pakistani Soldiers On Durand Line, "Sell" Pakistani Barbed Wire

 There is more "never ending trouble" brewing between the two Islamic countries Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

Pakistan is becoming terribly embarrassed over Afghanistan. When the Americans left Kabul on 15th August 2021 the Pakistanis cooked briyani and mutton to celebrate their part in getting rid of the Americans.

About two weeks later in a much publicised "stunt" the Pakistani spy-chief Lt General Faiz Hameed  (Chief of their ISI spy agency) made a quick visit to Kabul to "stake out" Pakistan's continuing role in Afghan affairs. To make a show of force that Pakistan was the big brother to Afghanistan. 

Bhiyya drinking chai in Kabul

His visit backfired terribly and within a few weeks Lt General Faiz Hameed was fired from his job as ISI spy chief and sent off  to command some Army corps on the frontier.    

Fast forward - the Afghans and the Taliban are becoming increasingly irritated with Pakistan.

The Pakistanis completed building a 2,600 km barbed wire fence along the Durand Line, the unrecognised border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. 

In no time at all the Afghans started removing the barbed wire, carrying it on their shoulders and selling the barbed wire in the markets. They also tore down the fence posts using trucks.

 

So the tensions are simmering. And then the unthinkable happened. About four days ago, seven Pakistani soldiers were 'caught' by the Taliban at the Durand Line (aka the border). The Taliban says the Pakistani soldiers had encroached into Afghanistan.  

The Pakistanis immediately placed a complete news blackout on the capture of their seven soldiers. The news has been blacked out from all Pakistani mainstream media. 

However online media in Pakistan plus Afghan and Indian media have reported about the capture of the seven soldiers. Four days have passed now and there is still no news about the fate of the seven soldiers. 

• https://www.newscast-pratyaksha.com/english/afghan-taliban-captured-seven-pakistani-soldiers/
• Afghan Taliban detain seven soldiers from Pakistan military  
• Kabul/Islamabad: Taliban delivered major jolt to Pakistan
• Taliban detained 7 Pakistani soldiers who crossed Durand Line 
• Pakistan media criticised Taliban for crossing ‘Red Line’. 
• Pakistan National Security advisor to visit Afghanistan next week
• Taliban made intentions clear by detaining soldiers just before the visit   
• Pakistan government avoided commenting on development
• Over three weeks, Taliban challenged Pakistani activities
• Taliban uprooted border fence, threatened Pakistani soldiers
• Taliban Defence Minister said fencing on Durand Line not tolerated 
• Pakistan advocating for Taliban at international level

This is a big slap in the face for Pakistan because the Pakistanis are going around the world acting as the unofficial spokesman for the Taliban government. Imran Khan the Pakistani PM has made repeated appeals to the United Nations, to the West and the world at large to send aid and support to the new Taliban government in Afghanistan. 

 

In return the Taliban have torn down the Pakistani border fence and now they have captured seven Pakistani soldiers. The situation is going to get worse. 

To make a long story short, the Afghans have defeated the British Empire, they defeated the Soviet Union and they have defeated the United States invasion and occupation.  It looks like now they are ready to kick the butts of the Pakistanis. 

The Afghans have never recognised the Durand Line which divides the Pushtun people - the majority people in Afghanistan. 

Ok here is the real story. The Taliban now have their Pakistani franchise operators known as the Tehreeke Taliban Pakistan or TTP (in Malay : Tarikat Taliban Pakistan).

The TTP has developed a life of its own simply because they represent the Pushtun people in Pakistan.  There are about 35 million Pashtuns in Pakistan. And they are all located along the Durand Line. There are about 17 million Pashtuns in Afghanistan (they form the largest tribal group). So there are TWICE the number of Pashtuns in Pakistan than in Afghanistan.  In reality Pakistan is the Pashtun homeland.

  

    

The dominant power group in Pakistan are the Punjabis (those who split from India in 1947). The Punjabis make up 44% of the population and number about 96 million. The Punjabis are not Pushtuns and the Pushtuns are not Punjabis.

It is no rocket science to figure out that if the Pushtuns on both sides of the Durand Line unite, they will have 52 million Pushtuns.  Perhaps the Tehreeke Taliban Pakistan or TTP has also come to realise that if they can break away from Pakistan, then they can merge with Afghanistan and dominate that combined 52 million Pashtuns.  

The TTP now "controls" Pushtun majority areas in Pakistan particularly the traditionally lawless "northwest" areas like Khyber Pukhtunhwa plus the former FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas). 

Over the past few years the TTP has made the Pukhtunhwa area quite ungovernable. They are going all out to destroy the Pakistani governments influence in their areas. And it looks like they are succeeding.

In the past Pakistan helped the Afghan mujahideen fight the Soviet occupation (1980s), after that they created the Taliban to take over Afghanistan (1990s), then secretly helped the Taliban harbour Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden (2000s), then secretly helped the Taliban throw out the American occupation (2021).  Pakistan did all this not for any love of the Afghans. The Pakistani generals made millions from all the wars in Afghanistan and the Pakistani Army used all that money to dominate Pakistan - until today.  The "Islamic struggle" in Afghanistan was also designed to deflect grievances away from Pakistan's own internal strife (Balochistan, Sindh, Pukhtunhwa etc).

Now the Soviets have left, the Americans have been kicked out of Afghanistan. Who else is there to fight? Bhiyya is no more welcome for chai in Kabul. 

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.