SAT Editorial Desk

Five years after the Doha Accord, the Taliban break commitments, harbor terrorists, exclude women and minorities, and defy international agreements.

Editorial Picks

Broken Promises, Renewed Threats: Time to Hold TTA Accountable

Five years after the Doha Accord, the Taliban have broken key commitments: 5,000 released prisoners returned to combat, 89% of government posts are held by Pashtuns, and women remain barred from education and work. Afghan soil hosts 6,000–6,500 TTP and Al-Qaeda fighters, with TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud receiving $43,000/month. Pakistan has neutralized 267 Afghan terrorists in 2025, while 58 terrorist camps operate under Taliban knowledge. Despite the US aid, compliance is minimal. International recognition and support must now be tied to verifiable reforms to prevent further regional instability.

SAT Editorial Desk

The Istanbul dialogue between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban collapsed over the TTP issue, exposing the limits of regional diplomacy and mediation.

Down The Line

The Istanbul Dialogue: How the Taliban’s Intransigence Doomed Diplomacy

The highly anticipated Istanbul dialogue, facilitated by Turkey and Qatar, has ended in deadlock. The Taliban’s refusal to act against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and their introduction of provocative counter-demands have effectively derailed the diplomatic process, underscoring the ideological rigidity driving Kabul’s foreign policy.

SAT Editorial Desk

Afghanistan

Centralized Power and the Core–Periphery Divide in Afghanistan

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s return in 2021 brought rapid consolidation of power, but also the revival of a historical flaw. By concentrating authority in the hands of southern Pashtun elites, the Taliban have recreated the core–periphery divide that has destabilized every Afghan regime since the 19th century. This hyper-centralization, rooted in ethnic exclusivity and Kandahar dominance, risks a repeat of past collapses as non-Pashtun regions turn toward functional autonomy.

SAT Editorial Desk

Broken Promises: The Taliban’s Betrayal of Global Commitments

Afghanistan

Broken Promises: The Taliban’s Betrayal of Global Commitments

Nearly three years after seizing power, the Taliban’s systematic violation of their international commitments under the 2020 Doha Accord has transformed Afghanistan into a sanctuary for terrorism, entrenched an autocratic regime, and institutionalized gender apartheid. Beyond moral failure, this deceit poses a grave threat to regional stability, international counterterrorism efforts, and the credibility of global diplomacy. Holding the regime accountable is now a strategic necessity, not a choice.

SAT Editorial Desk

Afghanistan

The Terrorist Ecosystem

“The critical evidence was not that he was in Afghanistan, but where. Al-Zawahiri was not hiding…He was living comfortably in a safe house…This location, teeming with Taliban security, implies high-level protection, not an intelligence failure.”

SAT Editorial Desk

Zabihullah Mujahid’s Rhetoric and the Reality of Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations

Commentary

Zabihullah Mujahid’s Rhetoric and the Reality of Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations

Recent statements by Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid attempt to shift blame for strained Pakistan-Afghanistan ties onto Islamabad. Yet the real source of tension lies in Kabul’s refusal to dismantle terror networks like the TTP and BLA operating freely from Afghan soil—a failure that continues to endanger regional peace and Pakistan’s security.

SAT Editorial Desk

Inside the Istanbul Talks: How Taliban Factionalism Killed a Peace Deal

Diplomacy & geopolitics

Inside the Istanbul Talks: How Taliban Factionalism Killed a Peace Deal

The collapse of the Turkiye-hosted talks to address the TTP threat was not a diplomatic failure but a calculated act of sabotage from within the Taliban regime. Deep factional divides—between Kandahar, Kabul, and Khost blocs—turned mediation into chaos, as Kabul’s power players sought to use the TTP issue as leverage for U.S. re-engagement and financial relief. The episode exposed a regime too fractured and self-interested to act against terrorism or uphold sovereignty.

SAT Editorial Desk

When Insurgents Rule: The Taliban’s Crisis of Governance

Afghanistan

When Insurgents Rule: The Taliban’s Crisis of Governance

The Taliban’s confrontation with Pakistan reveals a deeper failure at the heart of their rule: an insurgent movement incapable of governing the state it conquered. Bound by rigid ideology and fractured by internal rivalries, the Taliban have turned their military victory into a political and economic collapse, exposing the limits of ruling through insurgent logic.

SAT Editorial Desk

Pakistan’s rejection of a Taliban proposal to include the TTP in Turkey talks reaffirmed its sovereignty and refusal to legitimize terrorism.

Diplomacy & geopolitics

Legitimacy, Agency, and the Illusion of Mediation

The recent talks in Turkey, attended by Afghan representatives, exposed the delicate politics of legitimacy and agency in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. By rejecting the Taliban’s proposal to include the TTP, Pakistan safeguarded its sovereignty and avoided legitimizing a militant group as a political actor, preserving its authority and strategic narrative.

SAT Editorial Desk

Can war against terror be won without political consensus?

Editorial Picks

Can war against terror be won without political consensus?

For over two decades, Pakistan has battled the scourge of terrorism. Yet, despite military successes, the absence of political consensus continues to jeopardize lasting peace. As divisions deepen and populist narratives gain ground, the question remains: can Pakistan truly defeat terror without unity at the top?

SAT Editorial Desk

South Asia Times