The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating by the hour now. The latest bit of troubling news, especially from Pakistan’s point of view, is the capture and closure of the Chaman border closing. They did the same thing a few days ago as well, before realising that they had perhaps overplayed their hand and promptly re-opened the gates. This time, though, it seems a little more thought through on their part because they say things will not go back to the way they were till Pakistan does away with visa requirement for Afghan nationals. And the chances of something like that happening are very remote, this stalemate will most likely linger till the Taliban blink. Islamabad, for no fault of its own, seems caught between warning about the demise of the Ghani administration in Kabul on the one hand, which is practically written on the wall and will happen as soon as the Taliban decide to storm the capital, and warning against a Taliban takeover of the neighbouring country on the other. That is making us enemies on both sides of the divide in Afghanistan. The militia is clearly not respecting Pakistan’s requests and wishes with regard to border closures or even about handling Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters holed up on their side of the border. Wasn’t it just last week that the Taliban suggest that the government of Pakistan talk to TTP representatives to take that particular process forward? Yet the international press as well as notable capitals continue to call Pakistan the “Taliban’s state sponsor”. First, for the duration of the war the occupying forces kept blaming their failures on some imaginary network between Pakistan and the Taliban. Then, when they needed to talk to the insurgents, they came knocking on our door and pleaded with us to release the Taliban high command that had spent the last decade or so in our jails. And now, when the whole thing is going sideways again, they can find no excuse more convenient than blaming everything on Pakistan; just like the good old days. Pakistan’s position in all this time has been pretty straight forward and hasn’t budged at all; that the only solution to this mess is for the principle warring parties to talk it out. Still, even when the negotiations seem to set and then work towards meeting important goalposts, the fighting on the ground continues and makes a mockery of the peace proceedings. Pakistan, therefore, has said it before and is saying it again, that the way this war is being wrapped up will only make the region more unstable. And that is bad news for all countries that border Afghanistan. *