Asif Mahmood
A recent United Nations monitoring report has highlighted that terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory continue to threaten Pakistan, contributing to cross-border attacks and regional instability. Despite this clear evidence, Pakistan’s Afghan policy is still questioned. Recently, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman asked why Pakistan’s Afghan policy has “failed” over the past 78 years. With all due respect, the question should also be asked in reverse: what has Afghanistan’s policy toward Pakistan been over these same 78 years?
In Pakistan, it has become almost a custom that whenever any issue attracts global attention, Pakistan is automatically placed on trial. A principle has been established that whatever other countries do must be right, but whatever Pakistan does is certainly wrong. Viewed through this lens, Pakistan’s Afghan policy is deemed a failure not for a year, not for a decade, but for seven decades straight.
From its inception, Pakistan faced hostility from Afghanistan. Afghanistan initially refused to recognize Pakistan’s independence and voted against it in the United Nations, a vote later reversed. The first attempts to erase Pakistan from the map came from Afghan soil. The first military aggression, the first guerrilla campaigns, and the first interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs were all launched from Afghanistan. The first terrorist camp on Pakistani soil, the assassination of Pakistan’s first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan by an Afghan national, the first organized insurgencies in Balochistan, and the creation of the “Pashtunistan” issue, including flags and assemblies, originated in Kabul.
Historical records show that Afghan leadership from Prime Minister Hashim Khan to King Zahir Shah strategically undermined Pakistan from the outset. Afghan officials repeatedly sought to destabilize Pakistan through clandestine meetings, support for insurgent groups, and direct interference in governance. Claims that Pakistan alone was at fault ignore decades of documented facts.
Yet, even during Afghanistan’s times of difficulty, Pakistan extended unprecedented support. Millions of Afghan refugees were welcomed with open arms, a generosity unmatched in modern history. Today, Pakistan only asks that Afghan territory not be used to plan, facilitate, or launch attacks against it. This is a modest and reasonable demand for any sovereign nation.
The historical record is clear. Afghanistan’s interference, insurgent sponsorship, and repeated use of Pakistani territory to undermine the country cannot be ignored. Pakistan’s Afghan policy was not a failure of strategy or intent. It was a response to persistent hostility. A fair assessment of history shows that Pakistan acted in defense of its sovereignty and regional stability, even when the global narrative sought to place blame exclusively on its shoulders.
After 78 years, Pakistan’s demand remains simple. Ensure that Afghan soil is not used against Pakistan. This is neither radical nor unreasonable. It is the right of a nation to protect itself and its people