Islamabad – Pakistan’s strategic community has raised concerns over what it describes as an “emerging triangle of hostility” involving India, Israel, and the Afghan Taliban regime, a development that comes in the wake of Pakistan’s landmark Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia.
The alarm follows a series of diplomatic and military developments that analysts say appear “too synchronized to be coincidental.” On 10 October, Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi paid a surprise visit to India, his first official trip since the Taliban’s return to power. Just two days later, on 12 October, Taliban fighters reportedly carried out unprovoked cross-border attacks on Pakistani military posts.
These incidents came shortly after Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a historic Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement on 17 September, under which Pakistan’s armed forces were entrusted with the “sacred duty of Muhafiz-e-Haramain Sharifain”, guardianship of Islam’s two holiest sites. Islamabad views the timing of the Afghan regime’s overtures to India and Israel as “part of a coordinated geopolitical design” aimed at undermining the new Pakistan–KSA alliance.
Diplomatic Triangle in Motion
The chain of events began on 5 October, when Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar met his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in New Delhi. The two reportedly discussed “counter-terrorism cooperation” and reaffirmed their strategic alignment. Less than a week later, the Afghan foreign minister landed in India, a visit analysts describe as “symbolic of Kabul’s growing tilt toward the Indo-Israeli camp.”
“After the Saudi-Pakistan defence pact, there seems to be an orchestrated attempt to unsettle Pakistan through diplomatic theatrics and proxy disruptions along its western border,” said one Islamabad-based security analyst. “The Afghan Taliban’s engagement with New Delhi, especially after years of hostility, is a calculated message.”
Proxy Pressure and Security Escalation
Pakistan’s security sources allege that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant outfit operating from Afghan soil, continues to act as the Taliban regime’s “mirror proxy,” launching attacks designed to strain Islamabad’s internal and border security. Officials suggest that these operations serve the dual purpose of destabilizing Pakistan and diverting attention from regional alignments forming against it.
The Foreign Office in Islamabad has yet to officially comment on the alleged nexus, but sources within Pakistan’s diplomatic corps maintain that “a pattern of coordinated hostility” has emerged since September’s defence accord.
A New Regional Equation
Observers note that Pakistan’s growing strategic proximity to Saudi Arabia has introduced a new dimension to South Asia’s geopolitics. The Pakistan–KSA partnership, which includes enhanced defence cooperation, intelligence-sharing, and security of holy sites, is viewed as a potential counterweight to Indo-Israeli influence in the region.
“Israel and India have long collaborated on security and intelligence matters,” said a Middle East policy expert. “The Taliban regime’s flirtation with this bloc represents an opportunistic bid for relevance, but it also risks alienating the Muslim world further.”
Pakistan’s Resolve
Officials in Islamabad insist that Pakistan will not be deterred. “These evil alliances will face humiliation,” one senior government source said, “because Pakistan now stands not just as a regional power but as the guardian of Harmain Sharifain, with full confidence and preparedness.”
As the diplomatic chessboard shifts, Islamabad’s leadership appears determined to project strength, both militarily and morally, amid what it perceives as a renewed coalition of adversaries working to contain its rise.
