Amrullah Saleh, Afghanistan’s former Vice President, has outlined what he describes as Pakistan’s new approach toward Afghanistan and the Taliban by reposting a commentary on the social media platform X.
By reposting an analysis published by the “Green Trend,” Saleh says Islamabad’s strategy is based on five parallel and coordinated pillars. According to Saleh, Pakistan has, for the first time, openly linked its trade and economic relations with Afghanistan to the country’s security and political situation. By keeping border crossings closed, Pakistan has also made the Taliban more dependent on northern routes, including the Salang Pass, as well as on Iran.
The analysis further argues that Pakistan is effectively using its air superiority to carry out strikes inside Afghanistan, while the Taliban lacks effective air-defense capabilities. It adds that, because the Taliban does not enjoy broad international legitimacy, it faces limitations in responding to such attacks.
Saleh also argues that Pakistan’s military now has broader political support and greater cohesion among domestic political forces for its actions toward Afghanistan. At the same time, Islamabad is seeking to secure international support and is engaging with opponents of the Taliban over political arrangements and the future of governance in Afghanistan.
The assessment concludes that Afghanistan under Taliban rule has effectively become a system without an effective state. According to the authors of the analysis, the Taliban’s political approach over the past several years has also narrowed the space for achieving a genuine, Afghan-led solution.
Writer:Mahboba Baburi
