Pakistan, Oct. 8 -- The Afghan Taliban's persistent harbouring and support of anti-Pakistan terrorist groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have drastically fractured bilateral ties between Islamabad and Kabul, escalating into what observers now term an "open war" characterised by cross-border confrontations. Historical friction between Pakistan and Afghanistan stems from Kabul's 1947 opposition to Pakistan's UN entry and its continuous rejection of the Durand Line.

Decades of shared history, entwined by the Soviet invasion, millions of Afghan refugees, and the anti-Soviet war bound the two societies tightly together. After 2001, geopolitical instability fueled mutual blame. Although Islamabad anticipated that the Af...