The great realignment: Why India is Looking to Canada and Israel as Kabul and Islamabad clash

There’s a full fledged war going on between once-close neighbours Pakistan and Afghanistan. The two have been trading deadly shelling and mortar fire across their border, with Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif saying on Friday that his country’s patience had “run out” and declaring “open war” on its neighbour.

The New York Times describes it as one of the fiercest clashes in years.At one point social media posts claimed that Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada had been killed when Pakistan struck Kandahar and other places on Friday. Some of the posts said a senior Pakistani military officer had also been killed.The authenticity of these posts is dubious, however, as news reports later quoted Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesperson, as rejecting the reports of Akhundzada’s death.The cause of the tensions is Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of harbouring militant groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), that are waging war against Pakistan.

A mosque in Islamabad was attacked earlier this month, killing at least 30 people. The Taliban government disputes the claim that it is harbouring terrorists, saying Afghan territory is not being used to threaten the security of other countries.

Kabul, for its part, accuses Pakistan of carrying out unprovoked attacks in which civilians have been killed. Pakistan says it only targets militants.Does all of this sound familiar? Like when India accuses Pakistan of harbouring terrorists inimical to India?The last major flareup between Pakistan and Afghanistan was in October 2025, with Qatar and Turkey brokering a ceasefire that lasted until this week.