Brussels, April 4 – With Pakistan's economy under strain and domestic security deteriorating amid a renewed insurgency in Balochistan, the Afghan Taliban appear to be pursuing a long-term strategy in their conflict with Islamabad, prioritizing survival and ideological expansion over any ceasefires brokered by Qatar or Turkey, according to a recent report.
"For decades, the Islamabad establishment has played a dangerous game, nurturing the Taliban as a strategic depth agent against India. Today, this plan backfires, and the resulting explosion of violence threatens to send a fresh wave of illegal immigration toward the already strained borders of the European Union," the report in 'Brussels Signal' detailed.
According to the report, the "open war" declared by Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif signaled the end of a 30-year-long illusion.
"The apprentice has not only left the master. He has now turned openly against him. The March 16 attack on Kabul was the moment the masks fell. When Pakistani warplanes bombed a rehabilitation center in the heart of the Afghan capital, the 'Islamic brotherhood' of the two neighbors officially ceased to exist," it added.
The report stressed that Islamabad maintains it is targeting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), accusing Afghanistan of providing shelter, a claim Kabul rejects.
The outcome is a "cycle of diplomacy-in-name-only," where the dominant language is that of "air strikes, the AK-47, and the suicide vest" — reflecting the reality of the post-American vacuum in Afghanistan.
For Islamabad, the report said, the battle against the TTP represents an existential struggle, while for Kabul, it is about defending the sovereignty reclaimed after 20 years of conflict.
"Neither side can afford to blink. The light of the old order is fading. The era where the Pakistani military could manage Afghanistan like a colonial fiefdom is over. The trust is dead," it stated.
The report noted that the "special relationship" between Islamabad and Kabul has turned into hostility. Having survived an American occupation, it said, the Taliban may find Pakistan's aggression easier to withstand.
Emphasizing the wider implications of the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict, the report said, "Meanwhile, the West is watching a fire it helped light but can no longer extinguish. Brussels, in particular, remains silent, paralyzed by bureaucratic formalities. But this silence is a luxury we cannot afford. As the Durand Line burns and Balochistan ignites, this regional tragedy heralds a massive surge in illegal immigration toward the EU."