Has Kabul quietly begun cooperating after weeks of halted movement at international border crossings? If so, could this quiet engagement evolve into a formal counterterrorism framework? It is too early to tell. What is clear, however, is the wave of belligerence that recently swept across the border, with ministers on both sides trading accusations and posturing aggressively.

Pakistan appears to have opted for hard measures, but only after fully exhausting diplomatic avenues. The country's patience had worn thin over what it sees as the principal source of tension: TTP sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. Several rounds of talks — first in Doha and then in Istanbul since mid-October — consumed many days, yet ended without progress, prompting Islamabad to tighten the screws further.

The atmosp

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