Islamabad :Early this morning at around 4:00 AM, a massive fire broke out in the Afghan-side market at Torkham, reducing more than 150 shops to ashes.

According to reliable sources, the fire was allegedly set by the Taliban themselves in order to stage a narrative of a cross-border incident and portray themselves as victims.

Testimonies from local traders are particularly significant in this regard. Several traders reported suspicious movements of armed Afghan personnel in the area shortly before the fire broke out.

Afghanistan is well aware that Pakistan does not believe in attacking from behind. Such allegations appear to be propaganda aimed at maligning Pakistan at the international level.

The estimated loss of nearly 300 million Afghanis has primarily affected Afghan traders and ordinary citizens, whose interests have allegedly been sacrificed for political objectives by the Afghan interim administration.

Security analysts suggest that playing the “victim card” has long been a strategy of the Taliban. Whenever they face internal pressure, they attempt to deflect public anger by launching propaganda and placing blame on Pakistan.

The fire continued for several hours, yet the level of firefighting effort required to protect such a major commercial hub was not visibly present. This raises questions about whether the priority was truly extinguishing the blaze, or rather using the resulting chaos and smoke to obscure internal failures and create a new propaganda narrative against Pakistan.

Fire at Torkham Market – Another “Victim Card” xAfghan Taliban to Conceal Their Failure