The Afghan Taliban’s Advocacy: An Antecedent for Pakistan’s Ontological Security

Abstract

Pakistan commenced the Afghan Taliban’s advocacy when they controlled the throne of Kabul in 1996. Likewise, when Taliban 2.0 took over Kabul, Pakistan resumed its advocacy at different international forums. From the very outset, Afghanistan and Pashtun nationalists have threatened Pakistan’s ontological security. However, with the help of the Taliban’s advocacy, Pakistan preserves its ontological security. The extant literature has covered all the causes of Pakistan’s advocacy of the Taliban except one, which will be covered in this study. This research will elucidate that Pakistan advocates for the Taliban primarily to protect its ontological security through the lens of ontological security theory. Further, this scholarship seeks to analyze what ontological security means in the milieu of Pakistan. How did Pashtun nationalists’ movements threaten Pakistan’s ontological security? Why is it crucial for Pakistan to secure itself from ontological security threats? Data has been collected for this study from primary and secondary sources, including articles, journals, books, Twitter accounts, and speeches. Moreover, Afghanistan and Pashtun nationalist movements, i.e., the Red Shirts Movement (RSM) and Pashtun Tahaffuz (protection) Movement (PTM), have persistently posed threats to Pakistan’s ontological security by inciting Pashtun nationalism. Therefore, Pakistan promotes Islamic nationalism and advocates for the Afghan Taliban, who prefer Islam vis-à-vis Pashtun identity, to tackle such threats and safeguard its ontological security.