Pakistan vs Taliban OPEN WAR | Why is it Happening? | Dhruv Rathee
Pakistan has declared open war against the Taliban government in Afghanistan, despite having originally created and funded the Taliban. The conflict stems from the Taliban's refusal to stop sheltering the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), which has been conducting deadly terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
Summary
The video analyzes the escalating conflict between Pakistan and the Taliban government of Afghanistan, highlighting the irony that Pakistan is now fighting the very organization it created. The story begins in 1994 when Pakistan's ISI made a deal with Mullah Omar to form the Taliban in exchange for weapons, money, and training, with the goal of creating strategic depth against India. Pakistan supported the Taliban for decades, even during America's 20-year war in Afghanistan, playing a double game by publicly supporting the US while secretly helping the Taliban. When the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Pakistan initially celebrated, believing its puppets were back in control. However, the situation became complicated due to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, which is an extension of the Afghan Taliban that has pledged allegiance to them. The TTP has conducted numerous devastating attacks in Pakistan, including the 2014 Peshawar Army Public School massacre that killed 132 children. After the Afghan Taliban's return to power, TTP attacks in Pakistan dramatically increased, with 2,236 people dying in terrorism-related incidents in 2024 and attacks increasing to 4,001 in 2025. The current war began when Pakistan conducted airstrikes on Kabul targeting TTP leadership, leading to direct confrontation with the Taliban government. The conflict escalated dramatically in February-March 2026, with Pakistan conducting extensive airstrikes on Afghan cities including a controversial attack on a hospital in Kabul during Ramadan that allegedly killed over 400 people. The video explains that this conflict represents a fundamental dilemma: Pakistan cannot tolerate TTP attacks, but the Taliban cannot abandon TTP because doing so might drive TTP fighters to join ISIS-Khorasan, creating an even bigger threat. The ultimate irony is that the Taliban Pakistan created to counter India is now making trade agreements and building partnerships with India while sheltering Pakistan's enemies.
Key Insights
- The speaker argues that Pakistan's ISI created the Taliban in 1994 through a deal with Mullah Omar, providing weapons, money and training in exchange for control over Afghanistan to gain strategic depth against India
- The speaker claims that Pakistan played a double game for 20 years during America's war in Afghanistan, publicly supporting the US while secretly providing the Taliban with safe havens, training and funding
- The speaker explains that the Taliban cannot abandon the TTP because doing so would drive TTP fighters to join ISIS-Khorasan, potentially creating a two-front threat that would be worse for the Taliban than the current situation with Pakistan
- The speaker argues that Pakistan's original strategic goal of using Afghanistan as a buffer against India has completely backfired, as the Taliban now conducts trade and builds partnerships with India while sheltering Pakistan's enemies
- The speaker contends that TTP attacks in Pakistan nearly doubled from 2,236 terrorism-related deaths in 2024 to 4,001 attacks in 2025, directly correlating with the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan
Topics
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