Islamabad revels in Taliban’s gain but Pakistan will fall victim of terror’s success

Islamabad [Pakistan] July 22 (ANI): Islamabad has been cheering the Taliban’s recent victories in Afghanistan but a takeover of its war-torn neighbour by the insurgent force will leave Pakistan more vulnerable to extremism at home and potentially more isolated on the world stage.

Pakistan is revelling in Taliban’s recent gains, the country’s hard-liners have funnelled support to the Taliban for decades, and they can now envision their Taliban allies living safely in Kabul, author Husain Haqqani reported in Foreign affairs. Pakistan, said Haqqani, has always masked its evil ambitions in Afghanistan to maintain healthy relations with the US, for which Washington has always considered Islamabad as a turn-coat.

The Taliban’s victory will cause equal misery to Pakistan’s domestic peace and security. Islamist extremism has already divided Pakistani society along sectarian lines, and the ascendance of Afghan Islamists next door will only embolden radicals at home, Foreign Affairs reported. Meanwhile, any effort to push down the terrorist group might result in violent blowback, with the Pakistani Taliban attacking targets inside Pakistan and causing a civil war in an already economically broke country.

Many Pakistani critics have predicted this scenario in the country but the Pakistani military considers the Taliban as an important partner in their competition with India, Haqqani said. Meanwhile, Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh also said that Pakistan is revelling in Taliban’s success with “euphoria and excitement.”

The Vice President had slammed Pakistan for supporting the Taliban and accused Pakistani officials of “lies and denials”. (ANI)