Instability in Pakistan
Background
At its founding in 1947, the culturally and religiously diverse state of Pakistan lacked a unifying force and was soon plunged into political turmoil. Successive governments crumbled as corruption and infighting weakened the central government, and provincial leaders retained the real power. In 1958, the Pakistani military launched its first coup and would centralize power over the next thirteen years, free from the need to maintain a governing coalition. Though the generals returned Pakistan to civilian rule in 1971, the country experienced two more periods of military rule from 1977 to 1988 and 1999 to 2007. Even during periods of civilian rule, when power would typically oscillate between the Muslim League and the Pakistan People’s Party, the military remained the de facto power broker, forging and dissolving alliances and governments however best suited its interests. As a result, of Pakistan’s twenty-nine prime ministers since independence, none have completed a full five-year term.
Separatist and extremist movements have exacerbated Pakistan’s struggle to achieve political stability. Among them, the most prominent today is the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban for its links to the Afghan group. It was established in 2007 as a movement to unify Islamist militant organizations based mostly in the northwest border region, known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The TTP arose to combat expanding Pakistani military operations [PDF] in FATA that began in 2002 after foreign militants fled to the area during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. Since then, the military has periodically launched major operations [PDF] against the TTP, but the militants have benefited from a porous border with Afghanistan and protection from the Taliban.
The TTP is highly decentralized, and its factions often disagree on policy, which has presented a challenge to the leadership, but its main objectives [PDF] have included fighting Pakistan’s security forces, resisting Western forces in Afghanistan, and implementing Sharia law in areas it controls. Leadership changes have also altered the TTP’s strategies; over time, it grew closer to al-Qaeda and, under Mullah Fazlullah’s leadership beginning in 2013, carried out increasingly deadly attacks. Though most attacks [PDF] occur in FATA and neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the TTP targets major cities throughout the country.
In June 2014, after former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s efforts to negotiate a peace agreement with the TTP unraveled and militants attacked an international airport in Karachi, the government launched the Zarb-e-Azb Offensive against militant strongholds in North Waziristan. While effective, the operation displaced over a million people and cost billions of dollars. The TTP responded to the offensive with several attacks, including a December 2014 attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar that killed nearly one hundred fifty people, mostly schoolchildren, in the deadliest terrorist attack in Pakistan’s history.
In response, Pakistan’s political parties agreed on a comprehensive National Action Plan to combat terrorism and extremist ideology across the country, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lifted a death penalty moratorium to allow the execution of convicted terrorists. After nearly two years, in June 2016, the Pakistani military declared that FATA had been cleared of militants. Nearly five hundred Pakistani soldiers died in the clearing operations, which killed roughly 3,500 militants. With support from U.S. drone attacks and militant infighting, Pakistan’s tactics succeeded in significantly weakening [PDF] the TTP from 2014 to 2018.
However, despite the government’s declaration of victory and a decline in the frequency of attacks, the TTP and other militants continued to operate and carry out major attacks. These included a March 2016 suicide bombing in a park in Lahore that targeted families celebrating Easter, killing almost seventy people and wounding over three hundred, and an August 2016 suicide bombing of a hospital in Quetta that targeted a gathering of lawyers, killing nearly seventy-five people and injuring at least one hundred.
The military is believed to have continued providing support to the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and other militant proxy groups that often collaborate with the TTP. Furthermore, attacks claimed by the Islamic State have raised concerns over its growing presence and influence in Pakistan. Many of the militants fighting under the Islamic State’s banner in Afghanistan are believed to be former TTP militants who fled across the border, a phenomenon that has raised fears of an Islamic State-inspired campaign of violence inside Pakistan.
In July 2018, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan was elected prime minister in Pakistan’s national elections. Khan received criticism for embracing controversial blasphemy laws, an issue pushed to the forefront of the election by the participation of several banned militant groups—including one led by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, a designated global terrorist—operating as political parties to contest seats. The TTP targeted campaign rallies and polling places in the lead-up to the elections, including an attack in Mastung in July 2018 that killed more than one hundred forty people and wounded nearly two hundred others.
In June 2018, the leader of the TTP, Mullah Fazlullah, was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan; Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud was named the new leader of the umbrella organization days later. This leadership change brought the Mehsud tribe back to the helm and sparked a reorientation of stated policy to reinvigorate the TTP. Specifically, the leadership has attempted to strengthen authority structures and redefine legitimate attack targets to reduce indiscriminate violence. Around the same time, Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province approved a merger that stripped FATA of its autonomy, which sparked local resistance.
The security relationship between the United States and Pakistan also shifted in 2018, as the Donald J. Trump administration moved to suspend security assistance to Pakistan over a perceived continuing unwillingness to target militants who receive sanctuary in Pakistani territory and carry out attacks in Afghanistan. More than $800 million in security assistance was suspended or redirected that year, and the United States has cut off access for Pakistani military officers to U.S. military training and education programs in an effort to pressure the Pakistani government to change policy. The shift came as international pressure on Pakistan to tackle militancy and terrorism increased; in June 2018 the Financial Action Task Force placed Pakistan on the so-called “grey list” of countries not doing enough to stop money laundering and terrorist financing.
In August 2021, the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan gave the TTP a major boost. Despite Pakistani support for the Taliban during their decades of resistance, the Taliban has provided sanctuary for the TTP’s leadership and militants. Therefore, since 2021, the TTP has strengthened and used Afghanistan as a base for coordinating attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban offered to mediate but still refuses to force the TTP out. After failed negotiations, the TTP in April 2022 escalated attacks in a spring offensive called Operation Al-Badr, carrying out a record fifty-four attacks in one month.
In response, on April 21, 2022, Pakistan launched a slew of airstrikes on suspected TTP bases in Afghanistan but killed dozens of civilians in the process. The attack further strained relations between Pakistan and the Taliban and strengthened the negotiating position of the TTP. Sporadic peace talks [PDF] and ceasefire agreements have continued, but the TTP has little incentive to keep commitments unless the Taliban pressures them.
Overall, average TTP attacks per month increased from 14.5 in 2020 to 45.8 in 2022 and expanded in geographical scope, reflecting increased operability and improved weaponry acquired when the Afghan government collapsed. Furthermore, the TTP became more disciplined in its attacks to try to win public support; although suicide attacks increased, they only killed two Pakistani civilians in 2022.
Meanwhile, Pakistan plunged into a political crisis on April 3, 2022, when Prime Minister Imran Khan dissolved Parliament just before a no-confidence vote he was set to lose. He claimed the vote was a U.S.-led effort to oust him, but the Supreme Court overturned his decision and reinstated Parliament. Khan later reversed his claim of U.S. involvement. On April 10, the no-confidence vote passed, and Khan was removed as prime minister.
Khan and his Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called for nationwide demonstrations and threatened to march on Islamabad in support of early elections. In July 2022, he gained more momentum following a surprise landslide victory for his party in Punjab by-elections. The government then accused him of violating an anti-terror law; courts later ordered the charges dropped, but on October 21, 2022, Khan was banned from running for public office for five years on corruption charges. In late October, Khan led his supporters in a march on Islamabad, but he was shot in a failed assassination attempt on November 3. When the march failed to convince the government to hold early elections, Khan instructed the PTI-led Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assemblies to dissolve.
In March 2023, the media was barred from broadcasting Khan’s speeches. After the arrest of other key PTI members, an arrest warrant was issued for Khan and police raided his home in Lahore. The developments were met with protests and confrontations with police, and the warrant was rescinded. On May 9, Khan was arrested in court, and clashes between his supporters and police reignited. He was released on bail but now faces over one hundred criminal cases, which he says is an attempt by the military to neutralize him and his political party. Key PTI members have ditched the party, and the government has arrested thousands more, worsening Khan’s chances of a political return.
Khan formerly enjoyed close relations with the military; in fact, then-army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa’s support was key to his election as prime minister. Khan’s populist politics also attracted a wide base of public support. However, his relations with the military soured, and he blames Bajwa and current army chief Asim Munir for his ouster. Khan’s handling of the economy and foreign affairs, particularly relations with the United States, roiled the opposition. Khan’s critics also point out that despite running on an anti-corruption platform, corruption worsened under his tenure. Ultimately, Khan has polarized the political establishment and the country, managing to mount a greater resistance to the military than previous ousted politicians could.
Concerns
Historically, Pakistan has only reluctantly cooperated with the United States in fighting terrorist groups, while simultaneously sponsoring U.S. adversaries like the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network. Now, with the Taliban back in control of Afghanistan, Pakistan has lost leverage over these groups, and the TTP is regaining strength. While the United States previously supported Pakistan’s efforts to root out the group by conducting airstrikes, the TTP now largely resides across the border in Afghanistan, making them harder to target. Though its current leadership denounces international ambitions, the TTP has previously threatened to attack the United States and other countries; in 2010 it claimed responsibility for a failed car bomb in New York City’s Times Square, and a change in leadership could see it regain those ambitions.
As the TTP expands in Pakistan and security deteriorates, separatist movements and other armed groups could regain strength. United or not, these groups present a major challenge to a cash-strapped Pakistani government. A destabilized Pakistan creates the risk for further proliferation of militant groups in the region and a greater risk of them holding territory and developing the capabilities to launch international terrorist attacks. Though the collapse of the Pakistani state remains unlikely, its nuclear arsenal remains vulnerable to attack or theft by nonstate actors, a major concern for U.S. and Indian policymakers.
Recent Developments
In January 2023, a suicide bomber attacked a Peshawar mosque, killing at least one hundred people and wounding more than two hundred who had gathered to worship. The Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction of the TTP initially claimed responsibility for the attack as a way to avenge Omar Khalid Khurasani, the group’s former leader who was killed in a roadside bombing in August 2022, but a TTP spokesperson has since denied their involvement. The leadership’s denial of responsibility indicates potential internal disagreements and increases the risk of violence against civilians by rogue factions.
The TTP has also expanded southward into Baluchistan, claiming to have partnered with two militant groups there. The expansion, along with continued attacks on Pakistani security forces, prompted Pakistan in April 2023 to announce a nationwide offensive to eradicate the militants. An operation of that scale has not occurred since 2014, when civilians became collateral damage. Furthermore, Pakistan now finds itself at risk of default, raising questions about how it will fund the effort. Pakistan is unlikely to fully defeat the TTP as long as the Taliban provides sanctuary, and in May 2023 Afghanistan pledged to step up cooperation on border security.
In the political realm, the Muslim League’s Shehbaz Sharif, brother of exiled politician Nawaz Sharif, succeeded Khan as prime minister. In May 2023, Khan and Shehbaz Sharif made progress in election negotiations, agreeing to hold national and provincial votes simultaneously. However, on August 5, authorities arrested Khan on corruption charges, disqualifying him from the upcoming electoral race and from holding office for the next five years. Days later, Pakistani officials approved the redrawing of electoral districts, which delayed elections originally due by November 2023 until February 2024. In the interim, Nawaz Sharif returned from self-imposed exile, and a court overturned a graft conviction against him, clearing the way for him to run for office.
Meanwhile, Pakistan is grappling with record inflation and ballooning unemployment, for which it no longer reports data. With foreign exchange reserves dwindling, Pakistan has become reliant on IMF bailouts and is increasingly at risk of default. The lack of job opportunities has contributed to a surge in outward migration, and in June 2023 over three hundred Pakistani migrants died trying to reach Europe when their boat sank off the coast of Greece. The dire economic situation has forced Pakistan to make difficult budgetary cuts and raise taxes to meet IMF demands, which could lead to public unrest.
Compounding Pakistan’s economic woes, climate change has increased the severity of natural disasters in the country, especially floods and heatwaves. In the summer of 2022, unrelenting rains flooded one-third of the country, with some areas receiving 450 percent of their normal rainfall, killing or injuring over fifteen thousand people and displacing eight million. Estimates of reconstruction costs and economic losses exceeded thirty billion dollars. The World Bank says that extreme weather events combined with pollution and environmental degradation could reduce Pakistan’s GDP by nearly twenty percent by 2050.
Finally, Pakistan announced in October that all undocumented foreigners must leave by November 1 or face deportation. The order applies to an estimated 1.7 million Afghans, many of whom fear persecution in Afghanistan and face harsh winter conditions and inadequate shelter if they return. By December, nearly half a million undocumented Afghans had left Pakistan for their home country. Pakistani officials have cited security concerns as one reason for the decision, claiming Afghans have perpetrated many of the country’s recent terrorist attacks.
Militants Kill Six Pakistani Soldiers
The attack occurred in Kurram district, near the Afghan border, and comes as tensions intensify between Afghanistan and Pakistan; no group has yet claimed the attack (Reuters).
Pakistan’s Military Chief Issues Ultimatum To Afghanistan
Pakistani General Asim Munir warned Afghanistan’s Taliban government that it must choose between maintaining ties with either Islamabad or the Pakistani Taliban, which Pakistan blames for recent attacks within its borders; the remarks come amid deteriorating bilateral relations and stalled ceasefire talks (AP).
Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Clashes Kill Five
The exchange of fire, which occurred along the Chaman-Spin Boldak border, also wounded three Pakistani civilians and five Afghans; each side blamed the other for launching “unprovoked” attacks (AP). Pakistani and Afghan forces also traded fire in a separate incident earlier today, though no casualties were reported (CNN).
Pakistan Authorizes UN Shipments to Afghanistan
Pakistan reopened the Chaman and Torkham crossings exclusively for humanitarian shipments after nearly two months of closure, following October clashes with Afghan Taliban forces (AP).
Bombing Kills Three Police Officers
An improvised explosive device struck a police vehicle in the Dera Ismail Khan district near the Afghan border, killing three officers amid a surge in militant attacks in recent days; Pakistani authorities attributed the incident to the Pakistani Taliban, as cross-border security tensions with Afghanistan continue to intensify (AP). Saudi Arabia mediated talks between the Afghan and Pakistani governments over the weekend, though the sides agreed only to extend the temporary truce negotiated in October (Reuters).
Gunmen Kill Pakistani Official
Militants attacked a government vehicle in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, killing four, including a senior government administrator, in the latest sign of mounting insecurity in northwest Pakistan; no group claimed responsibility, but authorities suspect the Pakistan Taliban (AP).
Suicide Bombings Kill Police Officer in Pakistan
An attacker wearing explosives struck near a police truck in the northwest district of Lakki Marwat, killing an officer; in a separate attack, militants also assaulted a security installation in Baluchistan, exchanging fire with security forces (AP).
Militants Kill Police Officers in Northwest Pakistan
Gunmen opened fire on a security checkpoint in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing three officers before escaping; the assault followed a separate attack on a security compound in Peshawar and came as forces intensified counter-militant operations across the region, including a raid that officials said left dozens of suspected fighters dead (AP).
Alleged Pakistani Airstrike in Afghanistan
The Afghan Taliban government said Pakistani aircraft conducted overnight strikes in Khost, Kunar, and Paktika, killing ten civilians, including children, but Pakistan’s military denied carrying out any military operations; the exchange comes amid continued cross-border tension despite a temporary October ceasefire (AP).
Suicide Bombing at Pakistani Paramilitary Headquarters
Three militants stormed a frontier constabulary base in Peshawar near the border with Afghanistan, opening fire before detonating explosives; the attacks killed three personnel and injured at least five others; no group has yet claimed responsibility (Reuters). The attackers—two suicide bombers and a gunman—were on foot, the police chief said (AP). Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on social media that intervention by Pakistani security forces prevented an even larger loss (X).
Factory Blast in Pakistan Kills Eighteen
The boiler explosion in Faisalabad leveled the factory, damaged nearby homes, and left another twenty-one individuals injured, prompting arrests and an investigation into how the facility was allowed to operate in a residential neighborhood (AP).
Pakistani Forces Kill Twenty-Three Militants
The killings came during raids on Pakistani Taliban hideouts in Kurram district, as part of a broader sweep across the northwest this week; meanwhile, a separate roadside bombing in Dera Ismail Khan killed two police officers and injured another four (AP).
Pakistani Security Forces Kill Thirty-Eight Militants
The killings of the Pakistani Taliban militants occurred during multiple raids near the Afghan border (AP).
Possible Iranian Mediation in Afghanistan-Pakistan Conflict
Iran has offered to support ceasefire negotiations between the two countries, days after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi praised Qatar and Turkey’s mediation role; Pakistan welcomed the Iranian offer (Dawn).
Pakistan Accuses Afghan Nationals of Twin Suicide Attacks
Pakistan’s interior minister also implied that Afghan Taliban authorities facilitated the attacks, which occurred on Monday, by allowing anti-Pakistan militants to operate across the border; the Taliban administration rejected that allegation (Reuters). Pakistani authorities later arrested four militants from the Pakistani Taliban, which maintains close ties to the Afghan government (Al Jazeera). Despite the bilateral dispute, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited the Afghan Taliban to resume talks after negotiations collapsed last week; Afghan officials have not yet responded (AP).
Suicide Bombing in Islamabad Heightens Regional Tensions
Pakistan’s defense minister said the country was now in a “state of war” and that the incident was a “wake-up call” regarding neighboring Afghanistan, which Islamabad accuses of harboring extremists (Al Jazeera). Pakistan has experienced a series of attacks since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, and the two countries recently fought along their own borders in skirmishes that mediators have failed to fully resolve (AP).
Expanding Army Powers in Pakistan
Pakistan’s Senate approved constitutional amendments granting Army Chief Asim Munir authority over all military branches under a new “Chief of Defense Forces” post, following Munir’s promotion to field marshal after clashes with India earlier this year; Information Minister Attaullah Tarar cited stronger defense capabilities, while the opposition warned the changes would entrench military dominance (Reuters).
Afghanistan Confirms Failure of Peace Talks
The Afghan Taliban claimed that Islamabad demanded Kabul take responsibility for Pakistan’s internal security, a condition the Afghan government rejected; still, both sides affirmed that the October ceasefire remains in effect (Reuters).
More Bumps in Pakistan-Afghanistan Talks
Negotiations in Istanbul hit an impasse as both sides traded blame for deadly overnight clashes along the Chaman-Spin Boldak border, despite a ceasefire agreement; Pakistan’s information minister accused Kabul of failing to curb terrorism, while Afghan officials alleged Pakistani forces initiated the shooting (AP).
Border Clashes As Pakistan and Afghanistan Resume Talks
Troops from both countries traded gunfire near the Afghan border town of Spin Boldak despite a recent ceasefire, as delegations met in Istanbul to continue negotiations for a long-term settlement; officials said there were no casualties and reaffirmed commitment to continued dialogue (Reuters).
Pakistan Reopens Key Border Crossing
Pakistan opened the Torkham frontier to let thousands of Afghans go back into their country after weeks of closure sparked by deadly border clashes, though commerce and regular travel remain halted (AP).
Pakistani Deescalation
Pakistan said it does not want tensions with Afghanistan to continue escalating after deadly cross-border fighting, but pressed the Afghan Taliban authorities to act against Pakistani Taliban militants operating from their territory; the prior day, both sides agreed to maintain a ceasefire following talks mediated by Turkey and Qatar (AP).
Afghanistan and Pakistan Resume Talks
The negotiations restarted in Istanbul at the urging of Turkey and Qatar after earlier discussions collapsed; an Afghan source suggested most issues have been resolved, but Islamabad continues demanding action against militants operating from Afghan territory (Reuters). By the end of the day’s meetings, both sides had agreed to maintain the ceasefire negotiated earlier this month and to meet again on November 6 for further talks (AP). The development comes amid continually rising tensions, as Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif threatened on Wednesday to “obliterate” the Afghan Taliban if talks did not achieve a diplomatic solution (AP). Meanwhile, the Pakistani military said it killed twenty-two militants, including a senior Pakistani Taliban commander, in recent operations near the Afghan frontier (Arab News).
Afghanistan-Pakistan Peace Talks Stall
Talks in Istanbul ended without a deal to extend the ceasefire, with both sides trading blame after “tense exchanges;” Pakistan demanded that the Afghan Taliban rein in the Pakistani Taliban, but the Afghan side denied holding any sway over the group (Reuters). The collapse raises fears of renewed border clashes following deadly fighting earlier this month, as Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaji Asif warned last weekend of “open war” with Afghanistan if the talks failed (AP; DW).
Pakistan-Afghanistan Peace Talks
Delegations from Pakistan and Afghanistan met in Istanbul for a third day of negotiations aimed at preserving an October 19 ceasefire after weeks of deadly border clashes, as Pakistan urged Kabul to curb Pakistani Taliban attacks launched from Afghan territory; no outcome has yet been announced (AP). Speaking at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to help “resolve” the crisis, with Turkey and Qatar mediating the talks (Reuters).
Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Clashes
Pakistan’s military said five soldiers and twenty-five militants were killed in cross-border clashes as Afghan and Pakistani delegations met in Istanbul to continue ceasefire talks; Islamabad accused Kabul of failing to curb militant infiltration, although the Taliban has denied harboring attackers and continues warning against Pakistani airstrikes (Reuters).
Explosions Target Police Officers in Northwestern Pakistan
Militants from the Pakistani Taliban detonated a device at a checkpoint in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu district before striking a responding police team with a second explosion, killing a superintendent and two officers (Anadolu Agency). Separately, unidentified gunmen abducted thirteen construction workers in Balochistan amid an increase in militant activity (AP).
Pakistan Bans Islamist Party
The government banned the far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan under the anti-terrorism law after five people were killed during the group’s anti-Israel rally; the party had previously been banned in 2021 and reinstated after pledging to renounce violence (Reuters). Meanwhile, the Pakistani Navy captured nearly $1 billion worth of narcotics in the Arabian Sea in coordination with the Saudi-led Combined Maritime Forces, prompting praise from the U.S. military (Al Jazeera).
Afghanistan-Pakistan Truce
The countries agreed to an immediate ceasefire along their border following talks in Doha mediated by Qatar and Turkey; the two sides are expected to meet in Istanbul next week for additional talks (BBC). Pakistan’s defense minister told Reuters that the durability of the ceasefire hinges mainly on the Afghan Taliban’s ability to restrain militants attempting to cross the border (Reuters). The recent clashes marked the countries’ worst spate of violence since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 (NYT).
Pakistan-Afghanistan Talks
The Pakistani and Afghan governments agreed to extend an initial forty-eight-hour ceasefire as delegations from both countries prepare for longer-term talks in Doha this weekend (Reuters). Still, officials reported that seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and thirteen others were wounded in a car bomb attack in Waziristan district, though the perpetrators remain unknown (Al Monitor).
Afghanistan-Pakistan Truce
The two countries announced a temporary ceasefire following days of deadly cross-border clashes and appeals for de-escalation from regional neighbors such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar; Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the truce would last forty-eight hours (Reuters). The self-declared Islamic State, as well as al-Qaeda, are trying to resurface in the region (AP). Meanwhile, Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to disburse $1.2 billion from the country’s $7 billion bailout package authorized last year; the IMF said the program is helping to stabilize Pakistan’s economy (AP).
Militants Kill Police Officer
Suspected Pakistan Taliban gunmen opened fire on a polio vaccination team in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Matta area, killing a police officer assigned to protect the workers; the attack occurred a day after Pakistan began a nationwide immunization campaign for forty-five million children and follows a long pattern of militant attacks on health workers (AP).
Tensions Simmer on Pakistan-Afghanistan Border
Pakistan closed major crossings and suspended border trade after fierce weekend clashes with Afghan Taliban forces left dozens dead in the worst fighting since 2021; tense calm has prevailed, as U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the United States may intervene to help end the confrontation (Reuters). Meanwhile, a widespread anti-Israel march spearheaded by the hardline Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan movement escalated into violent clashes with police, leaving five people dead (AFP).
Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Clash
Both countries said their security forces killed dozens of each other’s combatants in the worst border hostilities in months; the fighting began Thursday following explosions in Afghanistan that the Taliban blamed on Pakistan and amid clashes with the Pakistani Taliban that left several dead in northwest Pakistan (Al Jazeera; AP). Islamabad did not confirm or deny carrying out strikes in Kabul, saying that it carried out “a series of retribution operations;” Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of harboring members of the Pakistani Taliban (Guardian).
Taliban Accuses Pakistan of Conducting Airstrikes Inside Afghan Territory
The Taliban accused Pakistan of explosions in Kabul and the bombing of a market in Paktika Province; Pakistan has not claimed responsibility but suggested that Afghanistan is being used as a “base for terrorism,” while Taliban officials warned of consequences if territorial violations continue (BBC). Meanwhile, police used tear gas and batons to block thousands of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) supporters from marching to Islamabad for a pro-Palestinian protest outside the U.S. Embassy; the TLP said two of its members were killed and dozens were injured, while authorities shuttered schools (AP).
Pakistan Security Forces Kill Militants
Ground raids killed twenty-one suspected Pakistani Taliban militants in operations in Kech, Quetta, and Sherani, with security forces also seizing weapons and explosives; four suspects attempting to flee were later captured in Khuzdar (Dawn).
Suicide Car Bomb Kills Ten, Injures Over Thirty
The bombing occurred outside Pakistan’s Frontier Corps headquarters and was followed by heavy gunfire before security forces killed four attackers; Balochistan’s chief minister called it a “terrorist attack,” while President Asif Ali Zardari blamed “extremists acting on India’s agenda,” although no group has yet claimed responsibility (Al Jazeera).
Security Raid Kills Seventeen Pakistani Taliban Fighters
Pakistani security forces raided a Taliban militant hideout in Karak district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which also injured three Pakistani security officers; the operation followed a similar raid two days earlier in nearby Dera Ismail Khan, which left thirteen militants dead (AP).
Trump to Meet Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif at White House
The meeting will take place on Thursday, weeks after the two nations struck a trade deal, as U.S.-Pakistan ties warm under Trump, who earlier welcomed Pakistan’s army chief to the White House; the visit also comes as U.S.–India ties face strains over trade and visas (Reuters).
Trump Hosts Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir
The United States announced a trade agreement with Pakistan in July, whereas Trump imposed heavy tariffs on Pakistan’s rival India; the White House meeting was closed to the media, but Sharif’s office said he thanked Trump for the trade deal and invited him to visit Pakistan (AP).
Pakistani Forces Kill Thirteen Militants
Pakistan’s military killed the Pakistani Taliban fighters in a raid on a hideout in Dera Ismail Khan, near the Afghan border; the slain militants were accused of past attacks, including a 2023 suicide bombing that killed twenty-three security personnel (AP).
Explosion at Pakistani Taliban Compound Kills Twenty-Four
Bomb-making material stored at a Pakistani Taliban compound exploded in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing at least twenty-four people, including fourteen militants and ten civilians, and destroying several nearby homes; police accused Taliban commanders of using civilians as human shields and stockpiling weapons in mosques (AP).
China-Pakistan Defense Ties
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari became the first foreign head of state to visit the campus of Chinese defense firm Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC); Pakistan used AVIC fighter jets in a border conflict with India earlier this year (Bloomberg). Zardari said the countries would continue to boost defense industrial cooperation (Dawn). Chinese weaponry already makes up four-fifths of Pakistan’s stockpile (CNN).