Pak-Afghan ‘war’: How Taliban went from strategic asset against India to Pakistan’s worst nightmare

Pakistan says the “cup of patience has overflowed" as it launched an "open war" against its neighbour, Afghanistan. In this episode, Ananya Dutta breaks down what really happened the night Pakistan bombed Afghanistan’s capital and why this isn’t just another border flare-up along the 2,640-kilometre Durand Line. Is this about the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan? Is the Taliban government in Kabul unable or unwilling to act? And how did a Cold War proxy battlefield morph into a neighbour v/s neighbour confrontation in 2026? History looms large. From the Soviet invasion to America’s 20-year war, Afghanistan has swallowed superpowers. But this time, it’s not Washington or Moscow. It’s Islamabad. Can Pakistan afford a prolonged conflict while battling internal insurgency and economic stress? Can the Taliban survive sustained cross-border strikes? If a war has truly been declared, what happens next, escalation, ceasefire, or a wider regional shockwave? This is not just about bombs in Kabul. This is about whether South Asia is on the brink of a new, unpredictable war.