DEFENCE Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Wednesday delivered a stark message to Afghanistan in the backdrop of renewed incidents of terrorism in Pakistan, which are linked to Kabul.
Speaking in the National Assembly, he warned that if Kabul failed to stop harbouring terrorists, Pakistan would respond in the same way it had against India last year. The Defence Minister also struck a cautiously optimistic note regarding domestic political alignment, saying the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, which had previously been uncooperative, was now on-board.
The straight forward statement of the Defence Minister is a clear manifestation that Pakistan will not change its existing Afghan policy till satisfactory resolution of the issue of terrorism. This is understandable as Pakistan tried its best for years to convince the Taliban regime to abandon its patronage of the TTP terrorists that have become a major cause of terrorism in the country. However, the Afghan Taliban did not attach much importance to the genuine concerns of Pakistan, shutting prospects for a negotiated solution of the problem. The stubborn attitude of the Taliban forced Pakistan to take action against terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan and as a result of the targeted campaign a reduction in terrorist incidents was noticed during the last few weeks. Pakistan paused the operation after the Kabul government relayed repeated signals to cooperate in dealing with the menace of cross-border terrorism. There were initial reports that the talks, hosted by China, made progress but the recent incidents of terrorism in KP indicate the Afghan Taliban and their proxy TTP misused the truce to regroup and resume the same old strategy of carrying out terrorist attacks in Pakistan. There is credible information that recent attacks, such as the May 2026 assault on the Fateh Khel police post which killed 15, are linked to militants housed in Afghanistan. It is strange that some elements in Pakistan speak the language of Kabul as instead of condemning Afghan-sponsored terrorism in the country, they raise eyebrows over targeted operation against terrorists and their harbours. Despite the fact that the Afghan regime was acting as an Indian proxy and facilitating terrorists, Pakistan held detailed negotiations with Afghanistan. Three rounds of negotiations were held with Afghanistan with the support of Turkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia and according to the Minister there might be another attempt in the offing for negotiations. However, instead of acting against Afghanistan-based TTP terrorists, the Taliban described terrorism as internal issues of Pakistan, flatly refusing to give written assurances of cessation of support for terrorists despite pledges earlier made under the Doha accord. Khawaja Asif pointed out that even 19-hour-long talks were held with the Afghan regime and they always gave verbal assurances but were never ready to give any written guarantee. It is all the more regrettable that instead of sorting out issues with Pakistan through talks, the Afghan Government has aligned with India, becoming its virtual proxy. It was at the instance of India that the Taliban regime carried out coordinated attacks in Pakistan, triggering a forceful response by the armed forces of Pakistan. Afghanistan was also under the false illusion that disruption of trade between the two countries will force Pakistan to compromise on principles. No doubt, closure of the border has badly impacted bilateral trade but with the passage of time Pakistan is coming out with alternative strategies to compensate for trade losses so incurred. However, the damage for the landlocked Afghanistan will increase further if the Taliban did not pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy sincerely. The Defence Minister has indicated the possibility of an all out war with Afghanistan and this will become a reality if the Taliban persisted with their existing policy towards Pakistan.
