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For over forty years, Pakistan has carried a moral and economic burden that few nations could bear. It opened its borders to millions of Afghans fleeing conflict, maintained diplomatic missions when the world turned away, and consistently championed Afghanistan’s humanitarian cause. From lobbying for the release of nine billion dollars in frozen Afghan assets to facilitating duty-free access under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement, Pakistan’s hand remained extended. It built hospitals, educated tens of thousands of Afghan students, and allowed one of the world’s most porous borders to serve as a bridge of fraternity. No other nation has given so much, for so long, and asked for so little in return. That is what makes the present betrayal all the more stark. Islamabad, relying on its own intelligence and corroborated by United Nations findings, now accuses Kabul’s de facto authorities of state-enabled terrorism. What might once have been dismissed as passive negligence has hardened into complicity. Pakistan’s patience, already tested by relentless cross-border attacks, is now reaching its limit. Pakistan’s generosity has never been conditional, yet it was never meant to be repaid with blood. The UN’s 36th Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team Report (July 2025) confirms what Islamabad has repeatedly warned: the Taliban regime continues to provide a permissive environment for terrorist groups, notably Al-Qaeda and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The report identifies approximately six thousand TTP fighters within Afghan territory, joint training sites for Al-Qaeda and TTP operatives, and active terror infrastructure in provinces including Ghazni, Helmand, Kandahar, Kunar, Uruzgan, and Zabul, all under Taliban oversight. These are all verified observations from an international authority mandated to monitor compliance with counter-terrorism obligations. Pakistan’s own intelligence reinforces these findings. Verified coordinates of TTP and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) sanctuaries were repeatedly shared with Kabul and international guarantors, yet little action followed. Instead, evidence suggests that the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence has allowed these networks to expand, providing them with safe havens and operational latitude. The most glaring instance is the reported presence of TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud in Kabul. Reports of regime funding, secure housing, and swift social media responses from Taliban-aligned channels after targeted strikes reinforce Pakistan’s long-standing claims. The human cost is both measurable and tragic. Since mid-2025, cross-border infiltration attempts have surged by over a third, with Afghan nationals increasingly represented among TTP operatives. In the recent attack on the Frontier Constabulary headquarters in Bannu, multiple assailants, including the suicide bomber, were confirmed as Afghan citizens. Over two hundred Afghan nationals involved in hostile operations have been neutralised inside Pakistan this year alone. Compounding this threat, NATO-grade weaponry left behind in Afghanistan – including M16 rifles, M4 carbines, night-vision equipment, and thermal optics – has surfaced in Pakistan’s conflict zones, reportedly sold through black-market networks tolerated or facilitated by local commanders. The presence of such armaments highlights the extent to which terrorist infrastructure thrives under the Taliban’s permissive oversight. Pakistan has pursued every avenue for peaceful resolution, engaging through diplomatic, tribal, and religious channels. Every assurance from Kabul has been followed by new attacks. The Taliban’s persistent insistence that terrorism in Pakistan is an internal matter defies overwhelming evidence: satellite imagery, ground intelligence, and UN reports collectively document that these groups operate with impunity on Afghan soil. Yet Pakistan continues to seek cooperation rather than confrontation. It remains willing to secure the frontier collaboratively, to facilitate legitimate trade, and to provide humanitarian support. But no sovereign nation can allow its territory to be violated or its citizens targeted without consequence. Kabul faces a defining choice: govern as a responsible actor committed to regional stability, or continue sheltering forces that thrive on chaos and bloodshed. History will remember Pakistan’s steadfastness when the world retreated. Its generosity – both material and moral – has always been extended in good faith. That hand remains open, yet if Kabul chooses to betray it again, Islamabad will respond – firmly, proportionately, and decisively. No alliance, no history of shared hardship, and no rhetoric of brotherhood can substitute for the obligation of responsibility. The question for the Afghan Taliban is simple and immediate: act as a state, or accept the consequences of fostering insurgency. Our patience is not infinite. Its diplomacy is deliberate but measured. And its moral authority, long exercised in support of Afghanistan’s people, will not be exploited to enable attacks on its citizens. In a region where history has repeatedly tested trust, the stakes are now clear. Generosity without reciprocity can no longer be assumed. The choice lies with Kabul. Honour its commitments or court further isolation and confrontation. Pakistan’s hand remains extended. Its resolve, however, has hardened. The lives of its people, the security of its borders, and the moral weight of four decades of sacrifice demand nothing less than decisive accountability. The writer is OpEd Editor (Daily Times) and can be reached at durenayab786 @gmail.com. She tweets @DureAkram.