When 13 Afghan policemen allegedly poisoned seven comrades and then walked across to join the Taliban in the past week, Afghanistan’s worsening chaos was all too obvious.

But that event in Afghanistan’s western Farah province additionally said much about a two-sided picture in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

While US and Afghan commanders battle rapidly worsening confidence among not just Afghan security forces, but ordinary Afghans, Pakistan’s policy makers appear to be heading towards more than just consolidation across the country’s frontier region bordering Afghanistan.

Once infested with zealous Taliban militants, who were eager to seize control of territory in areas ranging from the picturesque northern Swat valley to the semi autonomous tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, the outlook today appears to have changed.

While Pakistan’s army units remain deployed in Swat, where Taliban zealots once positioned themselves for a full-blown takeover, there are no signs that the area will fall under hard-line control yet again.

Though the picture across the tribal areas may be more complex, Pakistan’s deployment of thousands of army troops has indeed paid off, setting the stage for a re-assertion of the state’s authority as never before.

In sharp contrast to conditions in Afghanistan, where the idea of asserting the writ of the state seems very remote at best, Pakistan’s once-troubled tribal region appears to be going through a new phase in its existence. The building of new roads and other elements of infrastructure across the tribal region has brought about a two dimensional gain.

On the one hand, troops present in the area indeed have a significantly improved ability to remain in charge. But on the other hand, a wider network of roads has created grounds for fresh opportunities for local inhabitants to improve their living conditions.

In areas where dirt tracks once welcomed travellers going back and forth, new road networks are overlooked by clinics, schools and even the odd sports stadium, introducing a novelty for the local population. In sharp contrast to the days when young men generally spent their evenings sporting their lethal weapons, there are now opportunities to venture out for a game of football marking a new era.

Underlying these developments has been the reassertion of a vital message: While the state of Pakistan may be under attack at times, victory for the assailants must be far from a foregone conclusion.

Across the border in Afghanistan, the virtual absence of even a half-functioning state is all too obvious. More than a decade after a US-led invasion of Afghanistan forced out the Taliban regime from Kabul, ordinary Afghans, except for those living in the showcased environment of the Afghan capital and maybe a couple of other spots, just don’t have a positive stake in the future of their country. A US-led emphasis on winning the war appears to have shifted its focus away from the challenge of a wider rehabilitation for the people of conflict-stricken Afghanistan.

Instead, a sharp focus on winning the battle seems to have had the opposite effect than a well-rounded consolidation. For ordinary Afghans with no stake in the evolution of their country, jumping the fence to join the Taliban must seem a tempting idea. This will indeed be the case given the countdown to 2014 when the US is due to draw down a large chunk of its Afghanistan-based forces. Consequently for the Taliban, retaining their resistance at the present level in military terms may well be enough to eventually emerge as the country’s most important future power broker, in an era following the departure of western troops.

If anything, the latest turn of events in Afghanistan must once again demonstrate the sheer futility of a US-led push to create a large new national army which is capable of taking charge of the country’s deeply troubled security environment. In addition to realistically assessing Afghanistan’s security needs, it is much more vital to consider the challenge of arming Afghans with opportunities for a better future. The experiences just across the border in Pakistan amply demonstrate the utility of giving people the hope for a more prosperous future, once an immediate security challenge begins to come under control.

Farhan Bokhari is a Pakistan-based commentator who writes on political and economic matters.