As a fragile truce holds between Afghanistan and Pakistan after a week of intense border clashes, social media has found a new flashpoint, the number “93,000.” What began as a reference to Pakistan’s 1971 military surrender to India has morphed into a viral meme mocking Islamabad’s latest confrontation with the Taliban.
The trend erupted after videos surfaced online showing Taliban fighters parading captured Pakistani tanks and waving trousers allegedly left behind by fleeing Pakistani soldiers. The clips sparked a flurry of posts ridiculing Pakistan’s military performance, with Afghan activists branding the episode the “93,000 Pants Ceremony 2.0.”
The phrase “93,000” harks back to the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, when Pakistan’s Lt Gen AAK Niazi surrendered along with 93,000 troops to India’s Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora, one of the largest mass surrenders since World War II.
The image of Niazi signing the Instrument of Surrender in Dhaka has now resurfaced across social media, being shared alongside taunts that Pakistan had once again “run away” from the battlefield.
Afghan activist Fazal Afghan led the online mockery, writing, “1971: Surrendered to Indians. 2025: Surrendered to Afghans. Long time, but nothing changed for team 93000.”
Another user joked that Afghanistan might soon “break India’s record of 93,000.”
Indian Army veteran Lt Gen KJS Dhillon joined in, posting the iconic 1971 photo with the caption, “93,000 was always a favourite number.”
Afghan journalist Wakeel Mubariz echoed the sentiment, calling it “the day of 93,000 pants ceremony 2.0.” Another user quipped, “Team 93,000 again creates history — their pants waved by Afghan forces. The only tradition they follow: surrendering.”
The trolling came after Pakistan’s failed cross-border air operation in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, reportedly aimed at Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts. According to Tolo News, the strikes hit residential areas in Argun and Barmal districts, killing at least six people, including two children, and injuring seven others. Six women and a child were among the wounded.
The attacks, which violated a recently brokered 48-hour ceasefire, sparked renewed tensions between the two countries. Islamabad later sought to extend the truce until the conclusion of Doha talks, mediated by Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The Afghan delegation, led by Defence Minister Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, is expected to join the discussions, while Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Army Chief Gen Asim Munir have already arrived in Doha.
While Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the ceasefire was “mutual” and aimed at “constructive dialogue,” Taliban officials claimed Islamabad had requested the pause after suffering “heavy losses.” “The Mujahideen carried out effective attacks, putting Pakistani forces in a state of emergency. That’s why they requested to stop the fighting,” Taliban official Ali Mohammad Haqmal told Tolo News.
With the uneasy truce holding, Pakistan seems to have momentarily escaped further bloodshed, but not the ridicule. Online, “93,000” has become shorthand for humiliation, reviving memories of Pakistan’s most infamous military defeat and marking a fresh low in its strained ties with Kabul.
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