Pak-Taliban alliance under unprecedented strain as their interests diverge

New Delhi, Oct 1 Since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, its ties with Islamabad have deteriorated amid deadly border clashes. More recently, the militants have accused Islamabad of permitting its air space to be used by US drones to strike targets in Afghanistan. In turn, Pakistan has accused the Taliban of harbouring terrorists, media reported.

Experts say the longstanding alliance, which dates back to the emergence of the Taliban in southern Afghanistan in the mid-1990s, is coming under unprecedented strain as their interests diverge.

"The Taliban may have accepted Pakistani support for years but do not wish to be Pakistani proxies forever," said Husain Haqqani of the Washington-based Hudson Institute who previously served as Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, RFE/RL reported.

Last month, the Taliban accused Pakistan of allowing US drones to use its airspace to conduct strikes inside Afghanistan. The August 28 claim came after an American drone strike in Kabul killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in July. Islamabad has denied involvement in or advanced knowledge of the strike.

On September 14, Islamabad accused the Taliban government of harbouring Masood Azhar, head of the Jaish-e Mohammed