EDITORIAL: Pakistan’s warning that Afghanistan is sliding back into conditions resembling the pre-9/11 era did not emerge in a vacuum, nor was it an off-the-cuff political flourish. It followed another lethal attack on Pakistani soil, fresh arrests linked to cross-border networks, and renewed international expressions of concern.
President Asif Ali Zardari’s remarks simply articulated what Islamabad has been saying for years: when militant groups are allowed space, facilitation or impunity beyond borders, the costs are paid by civilians elsewhere. That reality is once again asserting itself.
There is little reason to dispute the core of the president’s analysis. Pakistan’s experience since the Taliban returned to power has been marked by a sharp rise in attacks linked to groups operating from Afghan territory. Islamabad has repeatedly raised this with Kabul, and with international partners, arguing that the issue cannot be treated as a bilateral irritant but as a regional and global security risk.
Recent condemnations from countries such as China and Turkiye suggest that this message is beginning to resonate beyond Pakistan’s immediate neighbourhood.
That recognition matters, because terrorism rarely remains contained. The history of Afghanistan itself demonstrates how permissive environments can incubate threats that eventually spill far beyond their point of origin.
Pakistan is not invoking 9/11 as rhetoric, but as a cautionary reference drawn from lived experience. When militant sanctuaries are ignored for political or strategic convenience, the consequences tend to arrive later, bloodier and harder to reverse.
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At the same time, external warnings alone are not sufficient. Pakistan’s credibility abroad depends heavily on discipline at home. Mixed signals, partisan point-scoring and careless language weaken otherwise legitimate concerns.
When senior officials speak past each other, or reduce complex security challenges to domestic political jibes, they dilute the seriousness of the case being made internationally.
Unity in purpose, if not in politics, is essential when confronting a threat that does not distinguish between provinces, parties or sects.
The immediate reality is stark. Attacks are ongoing, lives are being lost, and Pakistani citizens remain exposed.
While Afghanistan must be pressed to correct course and meet its responsibilities, Pakistan cannot afford to wait for external compliance alone. The state’s first duty is protection, and that requires urgent reinforcement of internal security mechanisms. Intelligence failures, coordination gaps and siloed responses are luxuries the country can no longer tolerate.
A decisive upgrade in intelligence sharing among civilian and military agencies is therefore indispensable. Information must move faster than the networks it seeks to disrupt.
Fragmented ownership of threat assessments, delayed dissemination and institutional turf protection create blind spots that militants exploit with ease. Pakistan has the experience and capacity to run integrated counterterrorism operations; what is required now is consistent execution and political backing that shields professionals from interference.
Equally important is aligning internal enforcement with external messaging. Terrorism thrives where enforcement is selective and accountability uneven. Border management cannot be treated as someone else’s problem, nor can urban security be left to reactive measures after tragedy strikes.
Preventive monitoring, sustained intelligence-based operations and visible consequences for negligence all signal seriousness, both domestically and to international partners.
The broader challenge extends beyond naming threats. Pakistan’s task is to convert warnings into coordinated regional pressure, working with states that recognise the risks of inaction. This requires restraint in tone, precision in evidence and persistence in diplomacy.
Overstatement invites scepticism; careful documentation builds coalitions. Islamabad’s strongest position lies in being seen as a responsible stakeholder demanding shared responsibility, not as a lone voice crying alarm.
None of this diminishes the need for Afghanistan to act. Kabul’s obligations under international norms are clear, and continued denial will only deepen its isolation. But realism dictates that Pakistan must hedge against delay.
Security policy cannot be outsourced, nor can it be postponed in the hope that external actors will eventually intervene.
Pakistan’s warning is credible. The world is starting to listen. Whether that credibility translates into safer streets and fewer funerals will depend on discipline in language, unity in intent and urgency in action.
Terrorism feeds on fragmentation. Defeating it demands coherence at home and consistency abroad.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026