THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
Pakistan made a serious mistake last week. While Afghanistan’s foreign minister was visiting India for the first time ever, Pakistan decided to launch airstrikes on Afghan territory. This decision has now blown up in Pakistan’s face, and the consequences are severe.
The Timing Could Not Have Been Worse
Think about what Pakistan did. Afghanistan’s foreign minister was in New Delhi, sitting down with Indian officials, trying to build better relations. At that exact moment, Pakistan chose to bomb Kabul and an Afghan marketplace. It was like slapping someone in the face while they’re talking to your rival. The message was clear: “Don’t get too friendly with India, or else.”
A Lesson in What Not to Do
Pakistan’s leadership apparently thought they could bully Afghanistan into submission. They believed a show of force would remind the Taliban who has the real power in the region. Instead, they achieved the opposite of everything they wanted.
First, they united Afghanistan against them. The Taliban, who were trying to be diplomatic with India, now had no choice but to respond forcefully. Pakistan gave them the perfect excuse.
Second, they proved India’s point. During the visit, Indian officials had called Pakistan a “shared threat” to both India and Afghanistan. Pakistan then immediately proved this by attacking Afghanistan. It’s like being accused of being aggressive and responding by punching someone.
Third, they strengthened the very relationship they wanted to prevent. Nothing brings two countries together faster than a common enemy. Pakistan handed India and Afghanistan a reason to become closer allies.
The Consequences Are Real
Now Pakistan is paying the price. Afghanistan claims it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers and hit 27 military posts in retaliation. Even if those numbers are exaggerated, the fighting is real. Pakistan lost at least 23 soldiers by their own admission. Families are grieving. Resources are being wasted. The border is on fire.
And for what? Pakistan didn’t stop the India-Afghanistan meeting. They didn’t prevent the joint statement. They didn’t intimidate anyone. They just created more enemies and more problems.
The Bigger Picture
Pakistan faces serious challenges – a struggling economy, internal instability, and difficult relationships with most of its neighbours. The last thing it needed was a new military conflict on its western border. Yet that’s exactly what its leaders chose.
This wasn’t strategy. It was emotion. It was jealousy seeing Afghanistan talk to India. It was insecurity wrapped in military action. And like most decisions made out of emotion rather than careful thought, it backfired spectacularly.
The Lesson
When you’re already in a difficult position, picking unnecessary fights with your neighbors is not smart. When you want to prevent two countries from becoming friends, attacking one of them while they’re meeting is not the way to do it. When you claim to want peace and stability, bombing marketplaces sends the opposite message.
Pakistan’s leaders made a choice driven by pride and fear. Now their soldiers are dying, their international reputation is damaged further, and the Afghanistan-India relationship they tried to stop has only gotten stronger.
Sometimes the biggest strategic mistake is not knowing when to do nothing. Pakistan should have let the meeting in India happen quietly. Instead, they turned it into an international incident that made them look weak, aggressive, and foolish all at once.
That’s not strategy. That’s just shooting yourself in the foot while your enemy watches.
References
1.https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/11/asia/firefights-pakistan-afghanistan-border-intl-hnk
2.https://www.npr.org/2025/10/12/nx-s1-5572402/afghanistan-killed-58-pakistani-soldiers-overnight-border-operations
3.https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/irked-over-talibans-foreign-minister-muttaqis-india-visit-pakistan-launches-air-strikes-in-kabul-2025-10-10-1012085
4.https://www.india.com/news/world/pakistan-strikes-against-afghanistan-as-afghan-foreign-minister-mawlawi-amir-khan-muttaqi-arrives-in-india-8124721/
