A few months after Kabul’s dramatic fall, Pakistan became unsettled when it faced a flare-up of tensions with Afghan Taliban forces over the Durand Line’s fencing. The tense development raised the eyebrows of many in Pakistan, including those who were cheering the Taliban’s quick victory. The sudden surge of tensions deflated at least the self-constructed hopes of Pakistan that there would be a friendly frontier on the west. Keeping in mind Islamabad’s backing of the Taliban and its bitter engagement with Afghanistan’s previous rulers, the strain in ties was too early, disappointing, and troubling.