Pakistan's grim realisation as Taliban 2.0 differs from 1.0: Expert

Pakistan has realised Taliban 2.0 is a 'different kettle of fish' and Afghanistan will not be its vassal state, says expert Burzine Waghmar. He highlights the collapse of Pakistan's 'strategic depth' policy. China has offered to mediate.

Burzine Waghmar, Iranian and Pakistan studies expert at the University of London, said that Pakistan has come to the grim realisation that "Taliban 2.0 is a different kettle of fish than Taliban 1.0." On Pakistan's airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul, Waghmar said that Pakistan has now realised that Afghanistan would not remain a vassal state for it. He told ANI, "Pakistan categorically told Beijing last week that there is no point in discussing anything with Kabul since the latter refuses to even meet our basic threshold of demands...Taliban 2.0 is a different kettle of fish from Taliban 1.0, which Pakistan has come to realise very grimly. This Afghanistan is not going to be Pakistan's vassal state or a client state. Pakistan thought it would attain strategic depth, a policy that it has honed over decades, going back actually to the earliest period of the Pakistan Republic from the 1950s onwards. But clearly, it has gone south for them. The entire question of strategic depth has collapsed...For now, it would appear Pakistan believes in riding it out, come what may, the consequences and of course, it knows it is militarily superior to Afghanistan and economically too."

China Offers to Mediate

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian had also offered on Monday to mediate between the countries. In a post on X, he said, "To mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan, FM Wang Yi has had phone conversations with his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts during the past week. The MFA Special Envoy on Afghan Affairs has been shuttling between Afghanistan and Pakistan. China's embassies have been in close communication with both sides as well." To mediate between #Afghanistan and #Pakistan, FM Wang Yi has had phone conversations with his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts during the past week. The MFA Special Envoy on Afghan Affairs has been shuttling between Afghanistan and Pakistan. China’s embassies have been in close… pic.twitter.com/WCZ4WpgeL4 — CHINA MFA Spokesperson 中国外交部发言人 (@MFA_China) March 16, 2026

"China hopes Afghanistan and Pakistan will remain calm and exercise restraint, engage face to face ASAP, achieve a ceasefire at the earliest opportunity, and resolve differences and disputes through dialogue. China will continue to facilitate reconciliation and ease tensions," he added. (ANI)

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