By Sahil Pandey
New Delhi [India], September 25 : Former Minister of State for External Affairs and veteran journalist MJ Akbar on Friday described war as having become “endemic” to Pakistan’s nature, as tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to escalate, saying Islamabad “cannot think of any solution other than war”.
“It is not simply with India; it is now with Afghanistan,” Akbar told ANI. 
His remarks came amid renewed hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Pakistan carrying out airstrikes at 10 locations in Afghanistan on Thursday, saying the targets were linked to drone attacks launched from Afghan territory. Kabul said the strikes killed at least four civilians.
“By the way, the Taliban was a creation of Pakistan. If they have to go to war with Afghanistan under a Taliban government, that means they have absolutely no locus standi in terms of justification or any expectation from any other kind of government in Afghanistan,” Akbar said.
He said the conflict had evolved from periodic clashes into sustained warfare involving airstrikes and drones.
“But, apart from that, the war there has actually developed into something which is sustained rather than periodic. Now there is war in the air; there is a war of drones,” he said.
Pakistan has said its latest strikes were carried out in response to an attempted drone incursion from Afghanistan and described the action as self-defence. Afghanistan’s Taliban government has condemned the strikes and vowed an “appropriate response”.
Akbar also drew a connection between the Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions and the wider conflict involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement.
“And I think we are going to come to a curious position where Pakistan is going to ask Saudi Arabia for help under the Mecca Pact against Afghanistan, rather than Saudi Arabia asking Pakistan for help against the Houthis,” he said.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye are parties to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, while also noting that Pakistani officials have indicated the pact could be operationalised or invoked if Saudi Arabia experiences unprovoked aggression or a spillover of the conflict.
“So it is very interesting that war is developing along two parallel lines — between adjoining countries, Pakistan versus Afghanistan, and Houthis versus Saudis,” Akbar said.
“And unlike mathematical parallel lines, the fear is that these parallel lines might meet,” he added.