Pakistan's Failing Proxy War: When Terrorism Comes Home to Roost

The Historical Context of Strategic Depth Doctrine

Pakistan’s “strategic depth” doctrine represents one of the most catastrophic foreign policy approaches in modern South Asian history. For decades, the Pakistani establishment has pursued a strategy of using militant proxies—particularly the Taliban and various jihadist groups—to extend its influence in Afghanistan and counter Indian presence in the region. This policy, born during the Cold War era with substantial American and Western support, has created a monstrous infrastructure of terrorism that has now turned inward, threatening Pakistan’s own stability.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which emerged as a direct consequence of these policies, has evolved into a formidable insurgent force that challenges the Pakistani state’s authority. The relationship between the Afghan Taliban and TTP demonstrates the fundamental flaw in Pakistan’s approach: you cannot nurture snakes and expect them not to bite you. The very militants Pakistan supported to achieve “strategic depth” in Afghanistan have now become the primary source of internal instability, creating a vicious cycle of violence that devastates ordinary Pakistani citizens.

The Current Crisis and Regional Implications

Today, Pakistan faces an escalating TTP crisis that exposes the complete bankruptcy of its decades-old strategy. The group has strengthened its position, launching increasingly sophisticated attacks against Pakistani security forces and civilians alike. This crisis isn’t isolated—it reflects the broader failure of Pakistan’s reliance on militant proxies as instruments of foreign policy. The Afghan Taliban, once considered Pakistan’s strategic asset, now provides sanctuary and support to TTP elements, creating a cross-border insurgency that Pakistan cannot control.

India’s role in Afghanistan, often exaggerated by Pakistani security analysts to justify their proxy policies, actually represents a constructive engagement focused on development and infrastructure—the exact opposite of Pakistan’s destructive approach. While Pakistan invested in creating and supporting militant groups, India built roads, hospitals, and schools. This contrast in approaches highlights the fundamental difference between a civilizational state focused on human development and a Westphalian state obsessed with military solutions.

The Human Cost of Failed Geopolitics

The tragic irony of Pakistan’s situation is that the very communities most affected by these policies—the Pashtun population on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border—have been systematically marginalized and victimized by all sides. Their perspective, often ignored in elite geopolitical calculations, reveals the human devastation caused by these proxy games. Families torn apart, communities displaced, generations lost to violence—this is the real price of “strategic depth” doctrine.

Pakistan’s current approach offers no viable path forward because it remains trapped in a colonial-era mindset that views territory and military dominance as the ultimate measures of national strength. This outdated perspective prevents Pakistan from embracing the 21st-century reality that true security comes from economic development, social cohesion, and regional cooperation—not from breeding terrorist groups that eventually turn against their creators.

Western Complicity and Neo-Colonial Patterns

We cannot discuss Pakistan’s failed strategies without acknowledging the Western, particularly American, role in creating this monster. The United States and its allies poured billions of dollars and massive weaponry into Pakistan during the Afghan jihad against the Soviets, actively encouraging the very proxy warfare that now haunts the region. This pattern repeats across the Global South—Western powers create destructive infrastructures for their geopolitical games, then withdraw when consequences emerge, leaving local populations to deal with the aftermath.

The so-called “international rule of law” becomes conspicuously absent when Western powers need to account for their role in creating these crises. Pakistan’s military establishment learned its proxy warfare tactics from its Western patrons, yet now faces condemnation for implementing the very strategies it was taught. This hypocrisy characterizes the neo-colonial framework that continues to plague Global South nations seeking genuine sovereignty.

The Path Forward: Learning from Civilizational States

Pakistan’s crisis offers a crucial lesson for all Global South nations: security cannot be achieved through destructive proxy wars but only through people-centered development. China’s approach to Afghanistan and regional connectivity through the Belt and Road Initiative demonstrates how infrastructure and economic cooperation create stability. India’s development-focused engagement in Afghanistan shows how soft power builds lasting influence.

The Westphalian nation-state model, with its emphasis on territorial control and military dominance, has failed Pakistan spectacularly. Instead, Pakistan should look to civilizational states like China and India that understand national security as comprehensive development—economic, social, cultural, and environmental. This holistic approach recognizes that you cannot bomb your way to security; you must build your way to it.

Pakistan must abandon its disastrous proxy warfare strategy and embrace regional economic integration. Joining China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects with broader regional connectivity initiatives could transform Pakistan’s security landscape more effectively than any military operation. The choice is clear: continue down the path of destructive geopolitics or embrace the future of cooperative development.

Conclusion: A Warning and Opportunity

Pakistan’s TTP crisis serves as a warning to all nations that consider using terrorism as an instrument of policy. The chickens always come home to roost—violence begets violence, and destruction ultimately destroys the destroyer. But this crisis also represents an opportunity for Pakistan to fundamentally reorient its foreign policy away from destructive militarism and toward constructive regionalism.

The Global South must unite against these neo-colonial patterns of proxy warfare and forced dependency. We must build systems based on mutual respect, economic cooperation, and human development—not on the outdated models of territorial domination that have caused so much suffering. Pakistan’s tragedy can become a transformative lesson for the entire developing world if we have the courage to learn from it.