Perspectives: Militancy, Security & Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

Editor’s Note

This issue of Durand Dispatch: Perspectives examines a decisive turn in the Afghanistan–Pakistan security landscape, marked by cross-border escalation, insurgent adaptation, and political fracture on both sides of the Durand Line.

In October, Pakistan launched rare airstrikes on Kabul, collapsing fragile diplomacy from September and igniting the most direct confrontation with the Taliban since their return to power. Each government has since doubled down: Pakistan through deportations and economic coercion; the Taliban through border closures, defiance, and rhetorical escalation.