The current leader ship, alternate leadership / opposition and current state of affairs of Afghanistan means that no improvement can be expected atleast for 2 - 3 decades or more.
So what kind of alliance / friendship is Pakistan expecting in the long run or is short-sighted wins the only goals / objective?
The bigger the land that is available to the enemies of Pakistan in Afghanistan, be it the rulers or their backers, the more chances that Pakistan is going to remain destabilised for the next 2-3 decades.
If you consider Afghanistan in terms of "Yugoslavia of the east" then, things become much more simpler to understand.
Afghanistan in its current form, is an eternal threat to the existence and territorial integrity of Pakistan.
Balkanization of Afghanistan Is the only way forward. Pakistan's boundaries should extend to the borders of Kabul, taking in / integrating provinces in the border regions into Pakistan permanently specially those that are economically connected to Pakistan.
The relevant ethnic groups should become separate countries in the north of Afghanistan bringing them under the sphere of influence of the central Asian countries.
The remaining Afghanistan proper would be located in the westwards and southwards, of the current form.
There is no other way.
During the roman empire in the current UK, the Picts in the northern part of the UK and the Germanic tribes / barbarians in modern day northern Europe, they fought the romans for 400 - 500 years, and then after, to integrate in the normal civilised world.
The current culture Afghanistan is no different and we can't wait 400 - 500 years for them to change their ways.
According to AI, the regions most easily that can be integrated economically into Pakistan include:
1. The Khyber Corridor (Nangarhar – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Area: The Jalalabad plain (districts of Jalalabad, Behsud, Surkh Rod) plus the narrower stretch through Mohmand Dara and the Khyber Pass itself.
Topographic alignment: The Kabul River cuts through the Spin Ghar mountains, forming a natural lowland funnel straight into Peshawar valley. Jalalabad’s flat farmland sits only ~575 m above sea level, an ecological extension of the Peshawar basin.
2. The Kunar–Bajaur/Chitral Valleys (Kunar – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Area: The Kunar River valley, including Asadabad, Marawara, Dangam, and the side valleys of Narang and Sarkani.
Topographic alignment: The Kunar River flows directly into Pakistan, joining the Kabul River near Jalalabad. Its upper catchment is physically part of the same Hindu Kush massif as Pakistan’s Bajaur, Dir, and Chitral. Mountain passes like the Nawa Pass and others connect Kunar’s side valleys with Pakistan’s tribal districts.
3. The Kurram Valley Corridor (Paktia/Khost – Kurram District)
Area: The upper Kurram River basin in Afghanistan’s Paktia (Gardez, Zazi Maidan) and Khost (Tere Zayi, Sabari), connected to Pakistan’s Kurram district via the Kharlachi border crossing and the Peiwar Pass.
Topographic alignment: The Kurram River originates in Paktia’s mountains and flows east directly into Pakistan, carving a broad, fertile valley that is an unbroken physical unit. The terrain slope and watershed make this a single, naturally integrated region.
4. . The Gomal–Tochi Corridor (Paktika/North Waziristan)
Area: The Gomal River basin in Paktika (Birmal, Sar Hawza) and Khost’s southern districts, draining toward Pakistan’s North Waziristan and Tank.
Topographic alignment: The Gomal and Tochi rivers flow from the Afghan side through low, rolling hills into the Indus plains. The Birmal valley is a flat, open plain straddling the border, topographically indistinguishable from adjacent Pakistani territory.
5. The Chaman–Spin Boldak Corridor (Kandahar – Balochistan)
Area: Spin Boldak district in Kandahar and the adjoining Chaman tehsil in Pakistan’s Balochistan.
Topographic alignment: An almost perfectly flat desert plain between the mountains of Balochistan and the Registan Desert. The border runs through featureless terrain—the same gravelly plain stretches unbroken from Quetta to Kandahar city.
6. The Registan–Chagai Desert Margin (Kandahar/Helmand – Balochistan)
Area: The southern, desert portion of Kandahar province (Registan district) and far southern Helmand, merging into Pakistan’s Chagai district.
Topographic alignment: Part of the same vast desert basin, with no topographic barrier. Seasonal watercourses from the Helmand basin (like the Dori River) cross into Pakistan intermittently.