US–AFGHAN RELATIONS POST-9/11: IMPLICATIONS FOR PAKISTAN’S DOMESTIC AND REGIONAL SECURITY

Abstract

The terrorist strikes of 9/11 changed the strategy of South Asia and redefined the dynamic between the United States and Afghanistan, the impact of which has been borne most by Pakistan. This review paper aims to answer the core issue as to how the changing dynamics of the US–Afghan relationship after the events of 9/11 affected the security landscape of Pakistan. It is asserted that while the American involvement was aimed at Afghanistan, it changed Pakistan to such an extent that its stability, economy, and regional status became vulnerable to this very involvement. The history of the region spanning from the Cold War period until the Soviet invasion, the civil war of the 1990s, and the rise of the Taliban is explored to reveal how Pakistan’s move towards supporting the United States’ Global War on Terror resulted in a violent blowback in the form of the rise of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), sectarian and urban terror, and insurgency in the tribal areas that required a decade of costly military operations, namely Al-Mizan, Zarb-e-Azb, and Radd-ul-Fasaad. While the article summarises the overall cost of war in terms of human life (around 80,000 deaths) and monetary loss (officially about US$126.79 billion) incurred by the people of the country, it also addresses the issue of deteriorating political stability, social capital, and investor confidence. The article also analyses the regional aspect of the problem, focusing on the escalation of Pakistan–India rivalry through Afghan soil, charges of external support of the Baloch insurgency, the disputed Durand Line, and China–Pakistan Economic Corridor concerns. Moving on from the original article, the paper discusses the situation after the Taliban took control of Kabul, the rise of the TTP, the breakdown of the relationship between Kabul and Islamabad, and the realignment in the region due to China, India, and Iran. The last part of the paper offers policy recommendations for the future stability of the country.