Pakistan now finds itself facing a dire and unprecedented security crisis as the very militant forces it once nurtured and supported have turned against it with alarming aggression. For decades, Pakistan cultivated the Taliban as a strategic proxy to exert influence in Afghanistan and counterbalance regional rivals. However, this calculated strategy has backfired catastrophically. The same jihadist groups Pakistan helped empower, particularly the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Afghan Taliban, have emerged as existential threats, openly declaring their intent to destabilize and conquer Pakistan itself.
The gravity of the situation was underscored recently when Noor Wali Mehsud, the chief of the TTP, publicly declared that the Taliban supreme leader in Afghanistan, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has ordered the comprehensive conquest of Pakistan. This chilling announcement followed a deadly clash along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in which five Pakistani soldiers lost their lives. These events have sent shockwaves through Islamabad, exposing the vulnerability of Pakistan's military establishment under General Asim Munir. Once the hunter, Pakistan is now the hunted, surrounded and pressured by jihadist forces both from across its western border and within its own territory.
One of the most striking symbols of Pakistan’s deteriorating control is the open presence and mobility of TTP militants inside the country, especially in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. In a widely circulated video, Noor Wali Mehsud was seen moving freely, visiting mosques, and issuing commands to his heavily armed fighters. He declared that defeating the Pakistani military is their ultimate goal regardless of the cost. The fact that one of Pakistan’s most wanted terrorists can operate openly on Pakistani soil, recruiting and planning attacks without interference, is a stark indicator of Islamabad’s fading authority. The situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has deteriorated to the point where the region effectively operates beyond the control of the federal government.
Pakistan’s attempts to manage this crisis diplomatically have been met with humiliating setbacks. In recent peace talks held in Istanbul, Pakistan pleaded with the Afghan Taliban government to crack down on the TTP and other militant groups using Afghanistan as a safe haven. Islamabad even provided photographic evidence of terrorist sanctuaries within Afghan territory. However, the Taliban flatly refused to act against their ideological comrades. Instead, they audaciously suggested that Pakistan negotiate directly with the TTP, a demand tantamount to asking Pakistan to surrender to terrorists. Pakistan rejected this proposition, insisting it would only engage with the official Taliban government, not insurgent factions. The message was unmistakable: Afghanistan will not assist Pakistan in reining in the militant forces it once supported and helped cultivate.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani military is suffering symbolic and strategic defeats on multiple fronts. Shocking footage has emerged showing TTP militants stealing Pakistani military vehicles, driving them to remote ravines, and burning them as acts of defiance and humiliation. These militants have also established checkpoints and exert de facto governance over large swathes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, effectively operating a parallel government while the Pakistani army remains largely passive and ineffective. These developments expose not only the weakening military control but also the erosion of state authority in Pakistan’s northwest.
Adding to Pakistan’s woes is a startling revelation concerning its nuclear arsenal. According to John Kiriakou, a former CIA officer with extensive experience in Pakistan, the country does not hold exclusive control over its own nuclear weapons. While Pakistan possesses nuclear bombs, the launch codes are reportedly held by American generals rather than Pakistan’s own Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif or military chief General Asim Munir. This arrangement stems from Pakistan’s fear that its nuclear weapons could fall into terrorist hands, especially given the TTP’s infiltration into the country. Moreover, Pakistan is concerned that without the protective umbrella of the United States, rival countries such as India and Israel might attempt preemptive strikes against its nuclear facilities. This lack of sovereign control over its nuclear deterrent exposes a profound vulnerability in Pakistan’s national security apparatus.
The broader picture reveals a haunting irony: Pakistan’s own creation—the Taliban—has become its executioner. The jihadist ideology and militant infrastructure that Pakistan fostered to serve its geopolitical ambitions in Afghanistan have now metastasized into a direct threat to its own sovereignty and stability. Afghan Taliban fighters launch attacks from across the border, while TTP militants control significant territory inside Pakistan, systematically dismantling military and governmental authority. This multifaceted insurgency combined with internal decay