Kabul: As a fragile truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan continues to hold, an unusual turn of events has sparked embarrassment for Islamabad. Videos circulating online show Taliban fighters parading captured Pakistani tanks and displaying trousers allegedly belonging to fleeing Pakistani soldiers, turning the border skirmish into a social media spectacle.
The hashtag ‘93,000’ quickly began trending, reviving memories of Pakistan’s 1971 surrender to India.
‘93,000 Pants Ceremony 2.0’: The 1971 War Connection
Social media users across Afghanistan have dubbed the episode the “93,000 pants ceremony 2.0,” drawing parallels to the 1971 war when 93,000 Pakistani troops surrendered to the Indian Army and Bangladesh’s Mukti Bahini.
The comparison flooded social media with posts resharing the iconic photograph of Lt General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi signing the Instrument of Surrender before India’s Lt General Jagjit Singh Aurora. Afghan activists and commentators mocked Pakistan, likening the recent scene to a symbolic “surrender”.
Fazal Afghan, an activist from Kabul, wrote on X, “1971: Surrendered to Indians. 2025: Surrendered to Afghans. Long time, but nothing changed for team 93000.” He added, “Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but definitely one day Afghanistan is going to break India’s record of 93,000.”
Afghanistan-based journalist Wakeel Mubariz tweeted, “Today was the day of 93,000 pants ceremony 2.0,” while Indian military veteran Lt Gen (Retd) Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon remarked, “93,000 was always a favourite number.”
Deadly Clashes Along Afghan-Pak Border
The trend follows a week of fierce clashes between Pakistani troops and the Taliban, after Pakistan reportedly attempted a cross-border operation targeting Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) camps inside Afghanistan.
The fighting left dozens dead and hundreds injured on both sides. The Taliban claimed to have killed over 60 Pakistani soldiers and destroyed 20 border outposts.
A temporary ceasefire was reached on Wednesday following mediation by Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Taliban official Ali Mohammad Haqmal told Tolo News, “The Mujahideen carried out effective attacks against the Pakistani forces, putting them in a state of emergency and worsening their situation. That’s why they requested to stop the fighting.”
Pakistani military sources, however, told Dawn that the truce was sought by Afghanistan.
