NewKerala.com

Pakistan's Dangerous Game: Fighting Monsters While Ignoring Internal Decay

Pakistan recently launched airstrikes into Afghanistan targeting militant groups but ended up killing civilians. The attack backfired when Afghanistan retaliated, killing dozens of Pakistani soldiers. This exposes how Pakistan's military uses external aggression to distract from internal economic and political crises. The very militant proxies Pakistan once nurtured now threaten its own stability.

Key Points: Pakistan Generals External Aggression Masks Internal Crisis

  • October airstrikes killed civilians instead of TTP militants in Afghanistan
  • Kabul's retaliation claimed 58 Pakistani soldiers in border clashes
  • Pakistan's economy faces collapse with inflation crushing ordinary citizens
  • Taliban asserts sovereignty refusing to fight Pakistan's proxy wars
2 min read

'Fighting monsters, ignoring decay within': Pakistani generals' dichotomy

Pakistan's airstrikes in Afghanistan expose military desperation amid economic collapse and militant blowback, revealing a nation fighting its own creations.

"The TTP, once considered a strategic asset, has turned into an existential menace - The Diplomat Report"

New Delhi, Nov 7

In early October, Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan -- targeting Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktika -- claiming to hit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants.

Instead, civilians, including women, children, and young cricketers, were killed. Kabul retaliated, killing 58 Pakistani soldiers.

For the first time, Afghanistan was bombed not by a superpower, but by its neighbour, once a haven for its refugees.

According to a report by The Diplomat, the strikes, meant to project power, instead exposed Pakistan’s fragility.

Rawalpindi’s generals are repeating an old playbook: using external aggression to mask internal decay, the report said.

For decades, Pakistan has blamed instability on others -- India, Kabul, or the West -- while nurturing militant proxies that now threaten its own survival.

“The TTP, once considered a strategic asset, has turned into an existential menace,” the report said.

The recent air campaign is not a show of confidence but of desperation. With the economy on the brink, inflation crushing citizens, and civilian authority hollowed out, Pakistan’s military is exporting conflict to distract from domestic chaos, the report added.

Meanwhile, the Taliban, once Islamabad’s pawn, now assert sovereignty. “Afghanistan will not fight someone else’s war,” said Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob, just days after the attack.

This independence unnerves Pakistan’s generals. Efforts at de-escalation -- such as the ongoing third round of negotiations in Istanbul mediated by Turkiye and Qatar -- remain fragile, as Islamabad continues to speak in ultimatums, not diplomacy.

Also, no external power seems willing to back Pakistan’s brinkmanship; even Beijing and Tehran have urged restraint, fearing instability that could spill across borders.

Washington, long weary of Pakistan’s duplicity, is staying out.

The lesson is one history keeps repeating. Pakistan’s coercive diplomacy and militarised reflexes only deepen domestic fractures.

Every confrontation with Afghanistan ends the same way -- Afghanistan endures, Pakistan weakens.

Pakistan’s generals are trapped in their own contradictions: fighting the monsters they once created while ignoring the decay within.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Very well analyzed article. The chickens have come home to roost for Pakistan. They created these monsters and now they're paying the price. Hope our government remains vigilant on the border.
D
David E
As someone who has lived in both India and Pakistan, I must say this analysis misses the complexity. Ordinary Pakistanis suffer the most from these policies. We should have more empathy for common citizens caught in this mess.
A
Ananya R
The part about civilians and young cricketers being killed is heartbreaking 💔 No political agenda is worth innocent lives. Pakistan's military establishment needs to understand this basic humanity.
V
Vikram M
When will they learn? Same pattern for decades - create trouble for neighbors, then cry victim. Now even China is telling them to show restraint. That says something!
S
Sarah B
The economic angle is crucial here. With inflation crushing ordinary Pakistanis, the military is creating external enemies to divert attention from their failed governance. Classic authoritarian playbook.
K
Karthik V
India should use this opportunity to strengthen diplomatic ties with Afghanistan. A stable, independent Afghanistan is in our national interest. Let Pakistan deal with the monsters they created.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50