Adil Raja on the Pakistani Military, Afghanistan & Regional Power | The Afghan Eye Podcast

In this episode of the Afghan Eye Podcast, Sangar Paykhar speaks with retired Pakistani Army Major Adil Raja for a rare, wide-ranging conversation on power, policy, and politics in Pakistan, and what they mean for Afghanistan. 

Adil Raja discusses Islamabad’s Afghanistan policy, the enduring influence of the intelligence services, the politics of militancy narratives, and why negotiations between Kabul and Islamabad so often collapse. 

The conversation also explores: 

- Who actually negotiates with Afghanistan on Pakistan’s behalf 

- The legacy of “strategic depth” and the Durand Line 

- Pakistan’s signalling to Washington through counterterrorism claims 

- Gulf and Turkish influence in South Asia 

- Afghanistan’s diplomatic agency despite economic isolation 

- The personal cost of dissent within Pakistan’s security state This episode is essential listening for anyone seeking to understand Afghanistan–Pakistan relations, civil–military imbalance in Pakistan, and the wider geopolitics of South and Central Asia. 

Support Adil Raja's work: https://soldierspeaks.org/