US Withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Emerging Challenges for

Pakistan

Faculty of social sciences

National University of Modern Languages

Islamabad

Submitted by: Ahmad Yar

BS- PCS 8th
Roll No:

Supervisor:
Date of submission: 15/01/23

Signature of student: _________

 Certificate

It is to certify that the research paper produced by Mr. Ahmad Yar Khan titled “US
Withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Emerging Challenges for Pakistan” gratifies the
requirement in its scope and quality for partial fulfilment of the Degree of Bachelors in Peace
and Conflict Studies from NUML Islamabad. Therefore, the work is approved for final
evaluation.

______________________

Name of Supervisor
 Declaration

I, Ahmad Yar Khan, hereby declare that the research paper titled “US Withdrawal from
Afghanistan and the Emerging Challenges for Pakistan” is the result my individual research
and it is being submitted for the Degree of BS in Peace and Conflict Studies from NUML,
Islamabad.

___________________

Department of Peace & Conflict Studies

National University of Modern languages, Islamabad

 Plagiarism Undertaking

I declare that the research paper titled “US Withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Emerging
Challenges for Pakistan” is solely my effort as result of my research work, with no longer
contribution from any other person. However, small contribution taken has been duly
acknowledged.

I comprehend the strict rules and regulations of the HEC and National University of Modern
Languages (NUML), Islamabad regarding plagiarism. I, therefore, as writer of this research
paper declare that no portion of the work has been plagiarized and any external used as
reference is properly referred and cited.

I undertake that if I found guilty of any formal plagiarism in my work even after the award of
BS Degree, the university has the right to suspend the degree.

___________________

Department of Peace & Conflict Studies

National University of Modern languages, Islamabad

Dedication
I dedicate this research to my loving parents and passionate teachers who guide and assist me
in every stage of life.
Table of Contents
Abstract:...............................................................................................................................................3
Section I................................................................................................................................................4
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................4
Research Questions:........................................................................................................................5
Research Objectives:.......................................................................................................................5
Methodology:...................................................................................................................................5
Hypothesis:.......................................................................................................................................5
Theoretical Framework:.................................................................................................................6
Significance of Study:......................................................................................................................6
Literature Review:...........................................................................................................................6
Literature Gap:................................................................................................................................8
Section II................................................................................................................................................9
Economic Crisis in Afghanistan:....................................................................................................9
Refugees in Pakistan:......................................................................................................................9
Security Implications:...................................................................................................................10
Re-emergence of TTP:...............................................................................................................11
TTP’s Tilt towards Nationalism:..............................................................................................11
Rising sectarianism:...................................................................................................................12
Section III...........................................................................................................................................14
Conclusion:.....................................................................................................................................14
Bibliography:.................................................................................................................................15
Abstract:

US has left Afghanistan after a 20 year War on Terror in August 2021. Taliban has
taken control of Afghanistan. The emergence of IEA in Afghanistan has developed many
challenges to the regional countries including Pakistan. Islamabad faces the challenge of
economic miseries in Afghanistan as Pakistan remained actively involved in Afghan politics.
Islamabad is an immediate destination for the Afghan refugees and the rise of Taliban in
Kabul had security challenges for Pakistan. The paper analysed through inspiration of
Regional Security Complex as a theoretical framework to understand the rising instability in
the region due to the instable Afghanistan. The study has found the remerging TTP and their
tilt towards the nationalism is an inspiration drawn from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
(IEA). Meanwhile, Pakistan is also facing the regression in the sectarian conflict due to the
role of Islamic State of Khurasan Province.
 Section I

Introduction:

Afghanistan is a land locked, resourceful, a major actor involved in tricky

International Politics probably due to its geopolitical and geostrategic location. Afghanistan is
mostly referred as “Asian Cockpit”, probably owing to the central position in South Asia and
surrounded by major, Regional, and small powers. The actors surrounding Afghanistan have
great many vested interests, held in Afghanistan. US invaded in Afghanistan to topple the
regime of Taliban in 20011 with allegation of giving refuge to Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin
Laden. The ousted leaders of Taliban went up to the mountains attacking the western
coalition on WOT. The summer of 2021 witnessed the end of the long journey of American
soldiers along with their boots from NATO allies and some non-NATO allies such as
Pakistan supporting logistically in the global War on Terror. The long lasted War came to an
end with the ceasefire and negotiated settlements and starting from 2014 till 2020 when the
parties had reached to a consensus. US decided to leave Afghanistan from February 2020 to
August 20212 in the series evacuation from the battle field. The Doha accord vanished when
Taliban marched Kabul ousting the west backed government of Ashraf Ghani and took the
charge of the country on 15 August 2021. With Taliban’s entry to Kabul, US troops left
Afghanistan after 20 years of long and bloody so called war on terror.

As soon as US had evacuated its last soldier from Afghanistan on 30 August 2021 3,
Taliban had taken the control of the country, running it in their own fashion. They had
formed an interim setup to govern the country. Their rise in Kabul had a greater impact on the
neighbouring countries especially Pakistan due to the past relations war torn Afghanistan. 4
Since the day US evacuated from Afghanistan, their emerge seldom challenges for Pakistan
and other bordering countries such as China. Afghanistan is in a dire economic misery as they
lack international recognition.5 This has pushed a humanitarian disaster at their doors and an
influx of refugees stormed the neighbouring Pakistan. The survey of World Bank’s
1
Zachary Laub, "The Taliban in Afghanistan," Council on Foreign Relations 4, no. 7 (07/07 2014).
2
Katherine Schaeffer, "A Year Later, a Look Back at Public Opinion About the Us Military Exit from
Afghanistan," (17/08 2022).
3
Aime Williams and Benjamin Parkin, "Us Withdraws from Afghanistan, Bringing an End to 20-Year War,"
Financial Times, 31/08 2021.
4
Razia Sultana, "Major Threats to Pakistan in the Wake of Us Withdrawal from Afghanistan: The Case of Fata
and Kp," FWU Journal of Social Sciences 1, no. 1 (01/07 2015).
5
Filippo Boni, "Afghanistan 2021: Us Withdrawal, the Taliban Return and Regional Geopolitics," Journal for
Asia Maior 32 (2022).
Afghanistan Monitory disclosed the 70% of Afghan can’t meet the basic food necessities. 6
Earlier the figure was staying at 35% in May 2021. Similarly, Islamabad is also facing the re-
emergence of TTP in KPK, the province next to Afghan border holding the Pashtun tribes 7.
The regression by militants also faced protests in the country.

Pakistan has always remained a key part in the Afghan politics. After the US
withdrawal, the country at the backdoor of war torn Afghanistan, held huge responsibility
from safe passage of US forces and the smooth run of new Taliban government. In this wake,
the paper will try to find the cost for Pakistan with emerging new Taliban regime in
Afghanistan. The study will find the security challenges emerged for Pakistan with US
withdrawal form Afghanistan. In addition to it, the research will also analyse the dire
economic misery of Afghanistan in the post US withdrawal country.

Research Questions:

 How Economic misery of Afghanistan can affect Pakistan in the current dynamics?
 What are the security challenges for Pakistan emerged after US withdrawal from
Afghanistan?

Research Objectives:

 To analyse the economic misery of Afghanistan in the post US withdrawal.

 To find out the security challenges emerged for Pakistan in the post US withdrawal
world.

Methodology:

The research was conducted through the Qualitative data collecting techniques. The
paper reviewed the press releases and government documents for the primary dat. For the
secondary data, the paper reviewed past papers, books, and news articles.

Hypothesis:

The emergence of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in Afghanistan has

developed many key such as Security and economic challenges to Pakistan.

6
Dalbir Ahlawat and M Raymond Izarali, "Security Implications for India and Pakistan from the Taliban Regime
since the Us Withdrawal from Afghanistan," Perspectives on Terrorism 16, no. 5 (01/10 2022).
7
KAMRAN YOUSAF, "Pakistan’s Ttp Blunder," Express Tribune, 26/12 2022.
Theoretical Framework:

The theoretical framework from which this study draws inspiration is Regional
security complex developed by Berry Buzan and Ole Waever 8. This theory states that any
security threat generated has its roots in its regional character and security concerns interact
and impact each other. The school explains the interwinding of the security concerns of the
regional actors to an extent that the implications have equal affect of all. Buzan and Waever 9
considered that the security independence lives in a short regional cluster and the threats
emerging from the security breach in any regional state can travel to short distances easily as
compared to the long distances. In the wake of the current study, the theory draws that, the
threat and instability emerged in Afghanistan can travel simply to Pakistan. After the US
withdrawal from Afghanistan, the security condition turned worse resulting a terror influx in
tribal regions of Pakistan in KPK province. This short term travel of threat to Pakistan has
been emerged as the biggest challenge for Pakistan.

Significance of Study:

US withdrawal from Afghanistan had a greater impact on the regional security as the
countries around it had faced a terror influx in their territory. Similarly, TTP resurged in
Pakistan, attacking the military and locals in ex-Fata and KPk. Since the day US left from
Afghanistan, Pakistan has been facing these challenges. The study will explain these
challenges emerged as a result of US withdrawal from Kabul.

Literature Review:

As there has been a very little literature in this regard due to the limited time frame
after US withdrawal from Afghanistan. But some of the scholars have covered the area with
in different parameters. A study conducted by Raj Verma10 with the title of “Afghanistan,
Regional Powers and Non-Traditional Security Threats and Challenges” covered the latest
model of Non Traditional Security Threats (NTS) for the regions around Afghanistan after
the US withdrawal in 2021. The article found that so far the instable Afghanistan would lead
to a cascade into neighbourhood extending it into the non-traditional threats to security. The

8
Barry Buzan, "Regional Security Complex Theory in the Post-Cold War World," in Theories of New Regionalism
(Springer, 2003).
9
Rahman Osiur, "An Analysis of the Regional Security of South Asia in Post 9/11 Period: Regional Security
Complex Theory Approach" (Research Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU)-Doğu Akdeniz Üniversitesi
(DAÜ), 2015).
10
Raj Verma, "Afghanistan, Regional Powers and Non‐Traditional Security Threats and Challenges," Global
Policy 13, no. 1 (11/03 2022).
Author have explored that Russia, Iran and Central Asia is worried from the emanating
threats illegal smuggling of narcotics. Meanwhile, Pakistan and Iran facing the militancy in
their own countries. In addition to it, the study have found that the human migration from
Afghanistan to the neighbouring countries. At the end Mr. Verma have concluded with the
importance of role of International and Regional organizations in Afghanistan and the region
to halt the threats posing to Non-Traditional security of the countries around Kabul.

A study by Satyavir Sing11 and his colleague noted that, since the Cold war era of
1980s, and the failure of détente between USSR and USA the Afghanistan and then the South
Asia has faced the menace of terrorism in South Asia. A complicated nexus of terrorism and
insurgency multiplied by the religious fundamentalism in some cases remained deep concerns
for South Asian states. Afghanistan due to its enormous diversity in bilateral relations became
the central hub of regional politics and perhaps for global politics as well from last 4 decades.
The major threat to peace in South Asia is presence of international terrorist organization and
their sympathizers in the region which dragging regional stability towards the verge of
catastrophe. Pakistan’s soil remained full of Al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgents flew from
Afghanistan, developed deep links with indigenous Pakistani terrorists. They not only
sabotaged the regional peace but also the Pakistan the extreme neighbour of Pakistan and
pivotal to all this matter also suffered a havoc.

The study provided by Ramsha Shahid titled as “Prospects of Pakistan-Iran Security

Cooperation in Afghanistan”12 concluded the emergence of security problems for the border
countries of Afghanistan in the wake after the withdrawal of US from Afghanistan. The
author confirmed that it’s a crystal clear notion of emergence of terrorist outfits from
Afghanistan since the day Taliban took the control. For an instance, Islamic State Khurasan
Province has been emerged as the severe threat for not on border countries but also the
Taliban are not safe against them. Author has opinionated at the end that there is a dire need
of security framework established by the regional countries in cooperation with Afghan
government to seek a common solution for this emanating common security threat.

11
Satyavir Singh, "Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in South Asia: Challenges and Policy Options," India
Quarterly 58, no. 3-4 (2002).
12
Ramsha Shahid, "Prospects of Pak-Iran Security Cooperation in Afghanistan," Institute of Regional Studies 40,
no. 06 (01/06 2022).
Literature Gap:

There has been a little research conducted in this area since the Kabul fell to Taliban
and Us Withdrawal, yet there needs some work in the security threats posed to Pakistan.
Pakistan has faced the emanating threat from rising TTP which claimed serious attacks
against the state. In addition to it, there is also another challenge emerged for Pakistan which
burdens the struggling economy of Pakistan. Islamabad is facing the major influx of Afghan
refugees which is hurting the economic sector of Pakistan. For this sake, the study will try to
explore these emerging challenges for Pakistan in the Post US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
 Section II

Economic Crisis in Afghanistan:

Afghanistan has been living a hard life since the day US troops had left the country.
The country is in the midst of dire economic crisis facing severe challenges. The decades
long war and, Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the economy of the country. The newly
incumbents in Kabul were shocked with the lack of experience and droughts recently due to
the massive flooding in the country. These challenges probably effect the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) of the country by 30 percent as noted by the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) 13in 2021. Kabul used to run with the foreign aid as 75% of the country’s budget and
40% of the country’s economy used to run through this14. With Taliban’s emergence as the
legal authority in Kabul, the country lacks such support crawling towards an economic
catastrophe. And such kind of stats show the dire economic challenge for the regional
countries such as Pakistan.

The economic crisis in Afghanistan will give births to the severe evils into the society.
As per the reports, the current economic situation of Afghanistan will eventually drag 90% of
Afghan people below the poverty line. Meanwhile, the 3.5 million Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs) will also be affected by the declining economic worthwhile of Afghanistan.
Despite that new regime in Kabul lacks the international recognition, UN and EU had
announced to 1 billion and 1.2 billion US$ of humanitarian aid for Afghanistan.15 Yet the
economic misery has led to many ethnic, and internal disputes in the country. In addition to
it, the country is facing political and social issues leading to the exacerbated smuggling of
drugs and narcotics along with illegal human trafficking 16. With these trends, Afghanistan
will be grieved at the end generating a major threat for the regional countries.

Refugees in Pakistan:

The economic crisis in Afghanistan have extreme challenges inflicted on to the

neighbouring countries in the region. Pakistan is the most immediate neighbour of

13
Abigail Ng, "Afghanistan’s Economy Could Shrink by 30% Following Taliban Takeover, Imf Says," CNBC, 19/10
2021.
14
Safia Malik and Strategic Analyses, "Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations: Pitfalls and the Way Forward," Journal
of Security 8, no. 1 (2022).
15
Verma.
16
Talal Maqbool, "Us War in Afghanistan and Pakistan's Post Withdrawal Foreign Policy for Afghanistan,"
Pakistan Journal of International Affairs 5, no. 2 (29/05 2022).
Afghanistan and a primary location to host the refuges from Afghanistan. After the US
withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, millions of refugees crossed the Pak-Afghan border
storming the vulnerable economy of Pakistan. EU Agency for Asylum has discovered that a
year between January to January 2021 and 2022, Pakistan faced 117,547 refugees into the
country. The month of August 2021 had witnessed the peak of the graph, revealing 35,289
refugees had landed into Pakistan17. Islamabad which was earlier critical of transit from
Afghanistan to Pakistan shifted its policy to host the displaced persons from Afghanistan 18.
However, under the vulnerable economy, it became a crucial challenge to host the new
comers into the country.

Pakistan is also vulnerable of the security implications shown up after this refugee
crisis. The host has faced the transnational threats of security which are explained below for
better understanding. People in this refugee drive 2.0 from Afghanistan may have been
involved into the criminal activities. The reason can be diverse including the lack of
resources and unfulfillment of basic needs might drive Afghan refugees to lie into the hands
of those who don’t want peace into the country. Pakistan can become the viable station for
the terrorist recruitment if these refugees from Afghanistan are not settled. Some of the
Afghan top elite who used to help US and NATO troops settled into the Capital of Pakistan. 19
While after the confirmation from the US government and western alliance they boarded to
the NATO countries. Yet the people from marginal background remained in Pakistan raising
the social as well as economic vulnerability of the country.

Security Implications:

As long as the Taliban government took the control of Kabul and US left after the 20
years of war with no end, the country along with the regional countries started facing the
severe security challenges. Pakistan at its neighbours also finds a crucial challenge of
emanating threat to its national security.20 Earlier, Pakistan also faced the waves of terrorism
and suicide bombing by militants since Islamabad decided to go hand in hand with western

17
EUAA, "Euaa Publishes Report on Afghan Refugees in Pakistan," news release, 20/05, 2022,
https://euaa.europa.eu/news-events/euaa-publishes-report-afghan-refugees-pakistan.
18
GOPALAN KR and Essential Oils, "The Future of Afghanistan under Taliban and Its Doomsday Vision of South
Asia," Natural Volatiles (18/11 2021).
19
Mr Ajmal Khan and Mr Siraj Bashir, "Dynamics of Afghanistans Evolving Situation: Repercussions on Pakistan
and China Pakistan Economic Corridor Security," Central European Management Journal 30, no. 4 (2022).
20
Uzma Munshi, "Redefining Pakistan-Us Relations in Post-Afghanistan Withdrawal Phase," Journal of Pakistan
Languages
Humanities Review 6, no. 3 (8/09 2022).
alliance on War on Terror. And now, the remerging Taliban in Afghanistan in the form of
IEA, pushed trouble in the regional countries such as Pakistan.

Re-emergence of TTP:

Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan emerged into the militant politics as a by-product of Islam
based Jihadi politics after 9/11. The establishment of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or
Pakistan Taliban, was formally announced in December 2007 with Bait Ullah Mehsud at its
head.21 However, before becoming a structural force, local militants who fought Soviet forces
had their sympathies with Afghan Taliban after US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. 22 After
US-led invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11, Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants took
refuge in Pakistan’s tribal areas and local tribesmen provided them land and compounds for
establishing training centres and command-and-control structures either due to investment of
large money by Al-Qaeda or due to soft corner for fighters. Both Afghan Taliban and Al-
Qaeda recruited local madrassah students and local tribesmen for their fight in Afghanistan.
Pakistan Army’s action in 2002 in erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to
weed out Al-Qaeda elements acted as catalyst to turn these tribesmen from mere
sympathizers to resistance force.23 At the beginning of TTP emergence, the organization has
to face the key challenges including to set up a rhetoric of anti-state jihad especially when
Pakistan Military leaders have been holding strong ties with the indigenous militant groups. 24
The organization had settled up the base through building nexus with Afghan Taliban and Al-
Qaeda. In addition to it, the group built its affiliation with Tribal Pashtun leadership of Ex-
Fata and killed those who opposed them.

TTP’s Tilt towards Nationalism:

After the Taliban in Afghanistan has taken control of Kabul, the TTP remerged into
the militant politics with new trends. Tehreek e Taliban was initially motivated to build a
Shariah System in Pakistan and wanted to take over Islamabad. After August 2021, the
development boosted the morale of the banned outfit. In a recorded wired interview with
CNN, Emir of Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan Noor Wali Mehsood had claimed to develop an

21
Dalbir Ahlawat and M Raymond Izarali, "Security Implications for India and Pakistan from the Taliban
Regime since the Us Withdrawal from Afghanistan," Journal for Perspectives on Terrorism 16, no. 5 (05/10
2022).
22
Hassan Abbas, "A Profile of Tehrik-I-Taliban Pakistan," CTC Sentinel 1, no. 2 (2008).
23
Shehzad H Qazi, "Rebels of the Frontier: Origins, Organization, and Recruitment of the Pakistani Taliban,"
Small Wars & Insurgencies 22, no. 4 (2011).
24
Abdul Sayed, "The Evolution and Future of Tehrik-E-Taliban Pakistan," (2021).
independent state at the areas near the Durand Line 25. In addition to it, the group have clearly
divulged the tools of their activities. Earlier, they used to attack and kill civilians across
Pakistan.26 However, they avoid targeting the civilians, focusing more to target the armed
forces. In the talks with the state of Pakistan, the Taliban has made a demand to withdraw the
merger of FATA in KPK. The claim has built a deadlock in negotiations. Anyhow, their
claim projectiles their aim towards the FATA nationalism and control in the region. In
addition to it, over the latest statement of TTP emir on Eid al Adha, Mullah Noor wali have
appealed of cooperation to the people of Pakistan calling “especially to the people of
‘Pakhtunkhwa’.
TTP chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, in a video on social media had declared that TTP
“is a branch of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and is a part of that umbrella” in Pakistan 27.
However, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, in an interview with Arab News
on 10 December rejected Mehsud’s claim of affiliation with the IEA. While denying the
claims Mujahid noted that TTP is not the part of IEA as an organization and there are no
similar objectives between the two.28 IEA believes that TTP should focus onto the prevailing
peace in the country. It is very important so they can prevent any chance for enemies to
interfere in the region and in Pakistan. Taliban spokesperson also requested Pakistan to look
into their demands for the betterment of the region and Pakistan. IEA also denied the
possibility of their interference in any of the country’s internal affairs. Recently, TTP has
called an end to the ceasefire and launched an offensive to the countrywide.

Rising sectarianism:

As long as IEA established the government in Kabul, Pakistan has also been facing a
remerging sectarian challenge. The Islamic State Khurasan Province portrays some deep uprisings
that can proved to the severe threat to the national security of Pakistan. A recent report by a Brussels-
Based International Crisis group29 has disclosed the alarming developments in the security
environment of Pakistan. The group claimed the emerging cooperation and coalition between the
dormant lashkar-e-Jhanghvi and ISKP. In addition to it, the report also asserted that the LeJ terrorists
are absorbed into TTP and ISKP. And these militants has generated the capacity to infiltrate in KPK
and Baluchistan province of Pakistan. In such a scenario the state has been much entangled in the re-

25
Taliban Chief Mufti Noor Wali, interview by CNN, 01/08/2021, 2021.
26
Abdul Sayed, "The Evolution and Future of Tehrik-E-Taliban Pakistan," Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace (21/12 2021).
27
Wali.
28
Web Desk, "Afghan Taliban Reject Ttp Claim of Being a 'Branch of Iea'," DAWN, 11/12 2021.
29
International Crisis Group, "A New Era of Sectarian Violence in Pakistan," (Brussels ICG, 2022).
emerging threats of violence based on sectarianism, extremism, and terrorism besides the TTP which
is regaining its position in some parts of the Khaybar Pakhtunkhwa province (KPK) 30.

The technicalities in recent attacks against the Shia community in Pakistan portraying
different picture from the historical practices of their ideological ancestors. Earlier in 1980 and 1990s,
when the tit for tat targeting was common among Sunni and Shia groups, the attacks used to be
injurious than deadly. While the current scenario portrays that the deadly ambitions of the attackers
behind their targets. These days, they attack busses, mosques, or crowded places, abduct the children
from Shia sect, all result into the killing. These tactics are usually utilized to induce fear among the
targeted community. Moreover, the militant Sunni groups have been also spread across the whole
region if we talk about the ISKP. 31 The group has its roots across in India, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran
and Central Asia. The militant groups has widened their scope and their ideological framework and
networked it across the region to find more and more recruitment. Meanwhile, there is also sectarian
intolerance in the country which helps it to galvanize to the point of no return.

30
Syed Ali Zia Jaffery, "Negotiating with the Tehreek-I-Taliban Pakistan Is a Bad Idea," (Atlantic Council 2022).
31
Niloufer Siddiqui, "Sectarian Violence and Intolerance in Pakistan," Retrieved September 11 (2015).
 Section III

Conclusion:

Afghanistan is a land locked, resourceful, a major actor involved in tricky

International Politics probably due to its geopolitical and geostrategic location. Afghanistan is
mostly referred as “Asian Cockpit”, probably owing to the central position in South Asia and
surrounded by major, Regional, and small powers. Pakistan has always remained a key part
in the Afghan politics. After the US withdrawal, the country at the backdoor of war torn
Afghanistan, held huge responsibility from safe passage of US forces and the smooth run of
new Taliban government. Afghanistan has been living a hard life since the day US troops had
left the country. The country is in the midst of dire economic crisis facing severe challenges.
The decades long war and, Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the economy of the country.
The newly incumbents in Kabul were shocked with the lack of experience and droughts
recently due to the massive flooding in the country.

Pakistan is the most immediate neighbour of Afghanistan and a primary location to host the
refuges from Afghanistan. After the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, millions of
refugees crossed the Pak-Afghan border storming the vulnerable economy of Pakistan. As
long as the Taliban government took the control of Kabul and US left after the 20 years of
war with no end, the country along with the regional countries also started facing the severe
security challenges. The Tehrik e Taliban TTP remerged into the militant politics with new
trends. After August 2021, the development boosted the morale of the banned outfit. In a
recorded wired interview with CNN, Emir of Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan Noor Wali
Mehsood had claimed to develop an independent state at the areas near the Durand Line. TTP
chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, in a video on social media had declared that TTP “is a branch
of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, [and] is a part of that umbrella” in Pakistan. However,
Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, in an interview with Arab News on 10
December rejected Mehsud’s claim of affiliation with the IEA. As long as IEA established
the government in Kabul, Pakistan has also been facing a remerging sectarian challenge. The
Islamic State Khurasan Province portrays some deep uprisings that can proved to the severe
threat to the national security of Pakistan.
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