While Islamabad has repeatedly been asking Kabul to take action against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP] terrorist group which it alleges operates from Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces [CDF] Field Marshal Asim Munir has been more blunt on this issue. In January 2024, he had declared that “When the security of each Pakistani is at stake, Afghanistan can be condemned and cursed as a whole,” and more recently, warned Kabul to choose between Pakistan and TTP. This is why Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s recent declaration of an “open war” against Afghanistan should not have come as a surprise but it has, and there are major reasons for this.
One, at a time when the Pakistan army already has its hands full fighting TTP in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [KP] and armed groups in Balochistan, opening yet another ‘front’ defies the very basic tenets of military prudence. Two, Pakistan Chief of Defence Forces [CDF] Field Marshal Asim Munir would be well aware that terrorism can’t be eradicated through use of force alone. So, with a man in uniform at the helm of affairs, the obvious question that arises is- what compelled the Field Marshal to take the rash and militarily unsound decision of going to war with Afghanistan at a juncture when his troops are already heavily committed in KP and Balochistan? The answer can be found in the question itself- this decision was a desperation-driven compulsion to save face.
The problem with Field Marshal Munir is his habit of trying to put up appearances by talking tough and thinking that his threats would create fear and awe amongst those against whom they have been directed. Unfortunately, no one cares about what he says and this is what further enrages him. Kabul’s univocal stand that it is neither sponsoring nor providing sanctuary to TTP on its soil and Afghan Taliban’s strong military response to Pakistani airstrikes have expectedly pushed the CDF against the wall.
“Selection and maintenance of the aim” is the foundational principle of war that involves formulating clearly defined and attainable goal[s] along with complete focus on it until its achievement. From Field Marshal Munir’s rhetoric, it’s evident that his primary aim is to uproot and destroy TTP terrorists allegedly operating from their bases inside Afghanistan. With no help forthcoming from Kabul, declaration of an “open war” against Afghanistan makes perfect sense as it’s the only way to achieve this aim.
However, there’s a catch. While the aim is laudable, whether it is attainable remains a moot point. Even if TTP have safe sanctuaries in Afghanistan, it would be puerile to expect that they would [like a conventional army], stay put there and defend the same till the last man-last bullet. Terrorists have no affinity with real estate and are known to abandon their hideouts/bases in face of imminent threat. So, how exactly Field Marshal Munir plans to smoke out TTP without taking complete control of Afghanistan, defies logical explanation.
Furthermore, by targeting areas in depth like Kabul and the Bagram air base, Rawalpindi has clearly indicated that this “open war” isn’t following its stated aim. Who would ever believe that instead of creating bases in close vicinity of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border that would facilitate easy forays into Pakistan, TTP would choose Kabul instead, which is anywhere from 150 to 200 km away from the Durand Line. And TTP most definitely wouldn’t be using the Bagram airbase as a sanctuary!
But more on this later.
Pakistan’s “open war” has degenerated into a series of border clashes and both sides asserting that they have inflicted heavy casualties on each other. There are no independent/credible means to confirm these claims. Yet, there’s no doubt that it’s a very bloody war because with Kabul not having an air force and adequate anti-aircraft defence systems, Rawalpindi is having a merry time bombing Afghanistan at will.
However, Kabul remains unfazed and is responding in equal measure by using its battle hardened fighters for ground action against Pakistani border outposts as well as drones to target high value targets in depth. Meanwhile attacks from TTP and Baloch armed groups continue unabated which is proof that things are far from normal in KP and Balochistan.
And this is why the Pakistani airstrikes against Kabul and Bagram airbase come into focus as they clearly indicate perceptible dilution of the “selection and maintenance of aim” principle of war- an inexplicable development within just days after its declaration. The only plausible reason for Pakistan attacking Kabul is to divert attention of its people who are weary of seeing body-bags of soldiers, and give them something to cheer about.
Similarly, the Bagram air base strikes lends further credence to Kabul’s claim of having “conducted precise and coordinated aerial operations against key military installations in Pakistan targeting the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, the 12th Division headquarters in Quetta [Balochistan], the Khwazai Camp in the Mohmand Agency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as several other significant Pakistani military facilities and command centers."
Finally, as to why Field Marshal Munir decided to go to war with Afghanistan, defies logic and the reasons perhaps will never be known. However, this gamble could well be his cunningly contrived ploy to save face by putting up a brave front and declaring war in the belief that the comity of Islamic nations would swiftly intervene and broker a peace deal.
Pakistan’s last September’s Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia that treats any act of aggression against one as an act against both too won’t help because it’s not Kabul but Islamabad that’s responsible for this aggression. Having pushed Pakistan into a war, what Field Marshal Munir needs now is the same type of “divine intervention” that he had “experienced” during Operation Sindoor!

Email:-------------------------nileshkunwar.56@gmail.com