Pakistan Seen As Repeating ‘Pyrrhic Victory’ In Afghanistan
April 01, 2021
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Pakistani leaders have spent decades touting their role in shaping the various phases of war in Afghanistan that saw Islamabad gain influence in Afghan politics despite its often-acrimonious relationship with Kabul.
Leaders in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, home to Pakistan’s powerful military, once again see themselves on the cusp of a historic opportunity to shape Afghanistan’s future and fend off threats from ethno-nationalists and the influence of regional archrival India.
But observers say the prospect of Pakistan’s Taliban allies assuming power or becoming major powerbrokers is likely to be a hollow victory for Islamabad reminiscent of the 1990s, when a civil war followed the April 1992 demise of Afghanistan’s socialist government. The ensuing chaos forced millions of Afghans to seek shelter in Pakistan, which faced international isolation in a post-Cold War world defined