Army is more powerful than Taliban, still why is Pakistan afraid of carrying out ground attack in Afghanistan?

neighboring countries Pakistan and Afghanistan Conflict The tension on the Durand Line is continuously reaching dangerous levels. For some time now, there have been several violent clashes between the armies of the two countries and Taliban fighters. Inside Afghanistan by Pakistani Air Force in October 2025 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) This conflict has entered a new and serious phase after the air strikes on US bases.

However, if conventional military forces are compared, Pakistan’s army is many times more powerful than Afghanistan’s, but despite this, Pakistan has limited its actions only to air strikes instead of fielding ground troops. After all, what is the real reason behind this? Let us know.

If we look at the data of Global Firepower Index, Pakistan ranks 14th in the world in terms of military capability and it is a nuclear-rich country. In contrast, Afghanistan is far behind in this list at 121st position. The Taliban regime has no official or organized air force of its own, and their fighters rely primarily on weapons left by US and former Afghan forces and traditional guerrilla warfare tactics.

While air superiority is considered the biggest weapon in the modern warfare system, due to the strength of its airspace, the Pakistani Air Force can easily enter the Afghan border and target the suspected hideouts of TTP and return safely. Despite this, Pakistan is continuously avoiding ground action.

The biggest reason behind Pakistan not sending ground troops on a large scale inside Afghanistan is the difficult and dangerous geography there. most of afghanistan Hindukush and White Koh It is surrounded by rocky and extremely difficult mountain ranges.

This geographical structure is almost impossible for the movement of conventional and heavy troops, while this area acts as a natural shield for Taliban fighters fighting guerrilla and asymmetric warfare. History is witness to the fact that even superpowers like Britain, Soviet Union (Russia) and the United States had completely failed to establish long-term control in Afghanistan due to its geographical complexity.

Pakistan is currently facing a serious economic crisis. If Pakistan lands its ground forces inside Afghanistan, this conflict could turn into a full-fledged and horrific war.

According to historical data, the US spent approximately $2.26 trillion on the Afghan war between 2001 and 2021 and thousands of its soldiers were killed. In such a situation, it is impossible for Pakistan, already burdened with debt, to bear the financial and logistical burden of a long and expensive ground war. Ground action will also increase the risk of international diplomatic pressure and global sanctions, to avoid which Pakistan is working on a policy of maintaining limited pressure only through air strikes.