According to Oct. 12 reports [13] in Pakistan's media, the Afghan Taliban and affiliated militants launched an attack from the Afghan side of the border, killing at least 23 Pakistani troops and injuring some 30 others. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated [14] that troops responded to cross-border raids by "Fitna-e-Khawarij and Fitna-e-Hindustan terrorist elements." This appears to be a reference to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP [15]), which Islamabad accuses [13] the Afghan Taliban of providing sanctuary to. In contrast, a statement [16] from Hamdullah Fitrat, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said that conditions on the "imaginary line" with Pakistan are under control.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been fraught with tension [17], especially around the disputed Durand Line [18] border. Established in 1893 between British India and Afghanistan, this border has never been officially recognized by any Afghan government since the partition of India in 1947, leading to a persistent territorial dispute. (Jurist [20])
The fighting came just as the Taliban regime's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was in New Delhi at the invitation of India's government. After Muttaqi met with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Oct. 10, New Delhi said it will reopen its embassy in Kabul [21]. This would make India the second nation to recognize [22] the restored Taliban regime after Russia. (Al Jazeera [23])
This rapprochement comes as the Taliban regime faces growing international censure. UN human rights experts on Oct. 10 condemned [24] the Taliban's internet and social media restrictions in Afghanistan, calling them violations of fundamental rights. The social media restrictions [25], which began on Oct. 7, target major platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. They follow a two-day, nationwide internet blackout from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. The experts warned that restricting net and telecommunications services worsens Afghanistan's humanitarian and economic crisis, increasing poverty, unemployment and food insecurity. These measures also hinder the delivery of critical humanitarian aid to vulnerable communities, including those affected by natural disasters and individuals forcibly returned [26] from neighboring countries. (Jurist [27])
UN human rights experts on Aug. 14 issued [28] a forceful appeal to the international community to reject Taliban rule in Afghanistan, denouncing it as violent, illegitimate and fundamentally oppressive. The appeal especially cited the regime's systematic discrimination against women [22]. (Jurist [29])
The US on Sept. 15 decertified [30] Afghanistan as a reliable partner in the War on Drugs (despite a Taliban edict banning opium cultivation [31]), automatically imposing sanctions. However, this has little practical effect, as Washington has no diplomatic relations with the Taliban government.
