Terrorist outfit

Till World War 2, Nation states used to fight conventional wars but the horrific consequences of the World War 2 and especially the use of Atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, turned the tide of the warfare towards a new era of warfare, Proxy wars. Conventional wars in the past tend to be highly costly but the looming clouds of Nuclear weapons made it a nightmare for humanity.  States instead of fighting the high-cost conventional wars adopted a new method of covert warfare, which was less expensive in terms of both lives and finances. This was the start of the notorious concept of proxy war.

In proxy war, the opposing states support their allied parties and groups both militarily and financially through covert means. The practicality of this concept is quite well mushroomed in the era of cold war between Communist, Soviet Union and Capitalist, America;  in which each side indirectly supported the opposing parties in regional wars. Vietnam War can be called as an example of proxy war, in which America supported South Vietnam government and USSR supported Communist North Vietnam. Another such war was fought on the turf of Afghanistan after the USSR invasion, in which America supported Islamist Mujahideen against the pro-Soviet Afghan government.

The region in which Pakistan is situated is and was a centre for proxy wars. When Pakistan came into being on 1947, Afghanistan under the rule of Sardar Daud started supporting the pro-Afghan Nationalists inside Pakistan. This interference of Afghanistan inside Pakistan prompted Pakistani security agencies to increase their own influence inside Afghanistan to counter their Pakhtoonistan propaganda. Pakistan extended hand of help to anti-Daud militias in Afghanistan on the orders of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan marked another era of regional proxy wars in which many stakeholders were involved each with their own favorites. Pakistan supported Mujahideen and then the Afghan Taliban after they took control of much of Afghanistan. Iran supported its own ideological favorites in Afghanistan, Shia Hazaras (a part of Northern Alliance).

Turkey and India were also supporting the Northern Alliance based upon their own interests.
American invasion and toppling of Taliban Government proved to be the starting of another Great Game in the region. Pakistan under heavy pressure from America decided to support Coalition forces by providing them Land, naval and air bases but was skeptical of the American presence in Afghanistan and their growing strategic partnership with India. This compelled Pakistan to adopt a policy of attacking bad Taliban and helping Good Taliban. This decision was based on a good analysis and was not in isolation to the regional situation. This decision was a reply to the Indian and American support for their pawns in Afghan Government and their anti-Pakistan activity via the Afghan land.

After the post-drawdown of ISAF forces in 2014, a new dangerous war theater has emerged in the region, in which each regional power is involved in some way or the other. Pakistan supporting Pakhtoons, whereas USA, India, Iran are supporting Northern Alliance. Turkey is also supporting Northern Alliance to a certain extent but both Pakistan and Turkey are closely allied as well. China has its own economic interests in the region along with their fear of the rise of East Turkistan Movement in Xingjiang due to unstable Afghanistan.

The era of proxy wars has somewhat destroyed the logic of conventional wars in wake of the dangerous Nuclear Weapons that could cause an Armageddon for humanity if used.