India, Feb. 27 -- Pakistan's bombing of Kabul and declaring an open war on Taliban-ruled Afghanistan reveals that the Islamic Republic has now become a security state which uses military might rather than political dialogue to resolve situations with its neighbors. Clearly, democratic parties have taken a back seat in Pakistan with Field Marshal Asim Munir consolidating his power by using terrorism against India in Kashmir and blaming the Taliban for its home grown TTP problem.

Given that Taliban or the Pashtun community had taken refuge in Pakistan during, first the erstwhile Soviet occupation, and then the US occupation post 9/11, it would have been easier for a political leader to reach out to the Taliban to sort out the TTP issue rat...