Pakistan and Afghanistan need to take a pause
There are no signs of tensions easing between Pakistan and Taliban rulers in Afghanistan. A senior Pakistani official said late last month that the Taliban representative in Islamabad was summoned to the foreign office and a protest lodged over a suicide attack carried out on a security forces convoy in Bannu district by an Afghan national. The Hafiz Gul Bahadar group claimed responsibility, which Pakistani security officials claim operates from inside Afghanistan. For their part, the Taliban reject Pakistan’s assertions about the use of Afghan soil by militants.
Pakistani and Taliban officials have been involved in harsh statements in recent weeks following a spike in attacks in parts of the country, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistan’s caretaker…