The Taliban is bold to whitewash the terrorist organization, 90 Pakistani soldiers have not paid their blood debts, and China refuses to give in to its red line

Author Statement: This article was created by AI

In October, the Taliban's repeated attitude on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) issue attracted international attention.

Taliban Defense Minister Jacob claimed that Bata was not a terrorist organization and believed that the "terrorism" label was politicized and a tool used by Pakistan to suppress opponents.

Nearly at the same time, however, a Taliban spokesman said they adhered to the ceasefire and did not support the attack on Pakistan.

This contradictory statement has exposed the Taliban’s dual stance on the Bata issue and has further exacerbated the differences between China and the Taliban.

The Taliban’s ambiguous attitude toward Bata is not a coincidence. The two not only share the Pushtu ethnic heritage, but also share a common ideology of extremism. This profound connection makes the Taliban reluctant to take harsh measures against Bata and even attempt to overturn Bata’s violence. For the Taliban, Bata’s presence is not only an emotional bond, but a code for negotiations with Pakistan. However, this double-targeted behavior directly challenges the counter-terrorism policies of both countries and becomes a hidden danger to regional security.

China’s stance on counter-terrorism is consistently clear. Long after Bata repeatedly attacked Chinese people and projects, China has clearly defined it as a terrorist organization. In March 2024, Bata planned an attack on the Dassault Hydroelectric Power Plant project built by Chinese enterprises, resulting in the deaths of five Chinese personnel. In November of the same year, Bata made another shooting in Karachi, injuring two Chinese citizens. These bloody facts gave China zero tolerance to Bata, while the Taliban attempted to mitigate Bata, clearly touching the bottom line of China’s counter-terrorism policy.

Pakistan has taken more direct action on this issue. Since this year, 90 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in Bata attacks. Faced with the Taliban’s failure to act, Pakistan has decided to launch an airstrike on Bata bases in Afghanistan, destroy the Taliban’s border positions and arms warehouses, while closing border ports and cutting off trade routes for Afghanistan’s survival. This series of harsh measures forced the Taliban to sign a ceasefire agreement under the mediation of Qatar and Turkey.

However, the Taliban did not fundamentally change its position. Following the Pakistan cross-border counter-terrorism operations, the Taliban Deputy Foreign Minister, Vardak, "accused" Chinese Ambassador Zhao Sun of "violating international law" but China's response was calm and reckless, only urging the two sides to resolve differences through dialogue and safeguard regional stability. This statement appears to be neutral and in fact conveys a clear message: China will not write back for the Taliban's dual-target behavior, and the root of the counter-terrorism issue lies in the Taliban's own tolerance of terrorist organizations.

Pakistan’s cross-border counter-terrorism operations are not only a warning to the Taliban, but also to the international community: there is no vague space on terrorism. As the main driver of the Chinese-Pakistan economic corridor, China and Pakistan have long been cooperating in the field of counter-terrorism.

The Taliban's future options are clear: either completely cut off their relationship with Bata and integrate into the regional cooperation framework, or continue to condone terrorist organizations and cut themselves off from the international community. No matter how the Taliban tests, the anti-terrorism red lines between China and Pakistan will not change. This is not only a commitment to regional security, but also a protection of innocent lives.