Pakistan is facing a serious wave of terrorist attacks , no doubt. But let’s not pretend Afghanistan is some “sunny and shiny” success story either. The Taliban are sitting on a pressure cooker, and the cracks are getting harder to hide:
1. Growing isolation
The Taliban are arguably more isolated than ever, and even Russian-linked reporting has pointed to a large foreign militant presence (figures like ~23,000 get cited). They’ve tried to cozy up to Moscow, but regional countries (including , Pakistan, Tajikistan voices) are increasingly blunt and hostile toward them. Killing of Chineese workers didnt help either. Other than an Al Jazira article, we heard no foreign statement condeming civilians killing by Pakistani Strikes.
2. NRF picking up political momentum
The NRF is slowly rebuilding its political profile again, with fresh signs of reorganization and renewed outreach.
3. Economic squeeze
The Torkham trade stoppages hurt them directly, and inflation/food prices are already a pressure point. Their “alternative” trade path via Iran is not a stable lifeline either.
4. Internal factional rifts
The tension between the Kandahari core and the Kabul governing circle keeps surfacing.
5 Inability to deter Pakistani airstrikes
The TTA have shown no real ability to prevent or effectively respond to Pakistani cross-border airstrikes. This shows they lack any credible deterrence, other than trying to instigate more suicide attacks inside Pakistan. Such actions would only trigger further escalation and lead to deeper and more forceful strikes. If strategic targets like power plants, airports, banks, and key infrastructure were hit, it could potentially lead to its collapse within days