On the heels of Pakistan’s demand to its western neighbour to rein in the traffic of militant commanders with perpetually unsatiated bloodlust tore through an assassination attempt on its envoy stationed in Kabul. There could be no greater sign of the simmering conflict between the two countries than the general tension (that one could cut with a knife) despite an official denunciation from the Taliban’s ministry of foreign affairs. The security situation is heading south way faster than the wildest imaginations of Islamabad. Last year’s takeover of Afghanistan was welcomed by Pakistan amid hopes for a joint collaboration to finally push the proverbial genie of terrorism back into the bottle. Since then, all attempts to remind the Taliban about their share of the bargain have been falling on deaf ears. It was just days ago that Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar had flown westwards to meet her Afghan counterpart to discuss the increasing spate of violence in the wake of a cancelled truce by Pakistani Taliban. For months now, a heated war of words continues across borders, with each side blaming the other for their ills. Pakistan, for one, believes that Afghan Taliban are not doing enough to keep their house in order or control the armed fighters taking refuge in their backyard. What went down in Quetta was a gory reminder of all that Pakistan had been forced to endure at the hands of these war-hardened criminals who know little other than the language of bloodshed. Just the first nine months of this year have seen an irreplaceable loss of over 450 lives, mostly security officers. Kabul’s reaction to this rise in extremist activities varies from a half-hearted pledge to address “security concerns” and an announcement of “arresting” anyone found committing these acts of “treason” to coming to blows with Islamabad over its bizarre bones of contention. While the change in command of the military leadership and the subsequent return to normalcy is well-appreciated, it is still not strong enough of a message to weaken the resolve of those who wish to cause us harm. Pakistan needs to start looking out for its own interests. Because the humanitarian principles to help a brother-in-need may only bear relevance if your kitchen is not on fire. *