Pakistan’s Policy in Afghanistan in Post 9/11—Treading a Tightrope

In the wake of the 9/11 incident, Pakistan faced hard policy choices. Cooperation with the US in its retaliatory war in Afghanistan—a neighbor with which Pakistan shared historical, religious, cultural, and ethnic ties—appeared full of risks in view of the global settings and political and economic constraints that the country was facing. An all-out opposition to the US or remaining neutral was also not considered prudent for the same considerations. Islamabad chose to become an ally of the US, but the nature, scope of cooperation, and emphasis continued to shift between the various options because of the push and pull factors arising during the war. However, the alliance had pitfalls and never proved to be smooth sailing. This chapter analyzes the foreign policy challenges Islamabad grappled with in the post-9/11 scenario, given the ambiguous agenda of the war. The chapter evaluates the protracted US war and categorizes the cooperation between the US and Pakistan into six phases. It also looks at the chaotic endgame in Afghanistan, the challenges faced by the Taliban government, and policy options for Pakistan in the rapidly changing scenario.