The suicide attack on the Fateh Khel police post in Bannu, which claimed the lives of 15 police personnel, has once again exposed the futility of treating the Afghan Taliban as a responsible negotiating partner. Pakistan has talked, warned, paused operations, accepted mediation and given diplomacy repeated chances. Yet the pattern remains unchanged. Whenever Pakistan responds with force, attacks slow down. Whenever Islamabad allows space for dialogue, terrorism returns.
Diplomatic Efforts Fall Short
The Foreign Office's demarche to the Afghan charge d'affaires was necessary, but it is no longer sufficient. Pakistan has said these words before. It has demanded action against the TTP before. It has presented evidence before. It has reminded Kabul of its commitments before. The problem is not a lack of communication. The problem is that the Afghan Taliban are either unable or unwilling to rein in terrorist groups operating from their soil.
A Call for Decisive Action
Pakistan rejects speculation over Iranian aircraft presence at Nur Khan Base. That distinction matters less with every Pakistani funeral. A state cannot outsource its security to the promises of a regime that hosts, protects or tolerates those attacking its citizens. The Bannu assault was not a random incident. It involved an explosives-laden vehicle, heavy weapons and drones. This is organised warfare, not isolated militancy.
Pakistan must now draw a hard line. The next major attack planned or directed from Afghan territory should be treated as an act of war. The response should be decisive, sustained and aimed at the infrastructure that enables terrorism: command centres, training camps, logistics routes and leadership networks that provide sanctuary to anti-Pakistan groups. Pakistan must now make the top leaders of Afghan Taliban a legitimate target too.
Running Out of Time
At the same time, Pakistan should build channels with more rational Afghan factions willing to recognise that perpetual hostility with Pakistan will only deepen Afghanistan's isolation. The Taliban leadership cannot be allowed to believe it has a monopoly over Pakistan's Afghan policy.
The wider world will not rescue Pakistan. The global order is fractured, selective and exhausted. Regional powers may mediate, but they will not bleed for Pakistan's dead. The responsibility lies with the Pakistani state alone.
