Pakistan and Afghanistan are facing a dangerous spiral of cross-border hostilities—described by Pakistan’s defense minister as “open war.” In this episode of Unraveled with Marvi Sirmed, Pakistan’s former DG ISI , LT. Gen (R) Asad Durrani, breaks down how we got here—and why he calls the trajectory “completely nonsensical,” yet predictable once “the ball started rolling.” Gen (R) Durrani points to policy triggers (including refugee expulsions), unrealistic demands around militancy, and decision-making failures that can override institutional mechanisms. He also argues why border militancy is ultimately a political problem more than a military one, and discusses what “course correction” could look like. Subscribe for more long-form interviews and regional deep dives.