Summary Asif accused the Afghan Taliban government of acting as a proxy for India
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday warned Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration against continued support for militant groups, saying Pakistan would respond to Kabul in the same manner it had responded to India.
Addressing the National Assembly, the defence minister said there was “no difference between Delhi and Kabul”, adding that Pakistan currently faced “one enemy” on both its eastern and western borders.
Asif accused the Afghan Taliban government of acting as a proxy for India saying that Kabul had failed to provide Pakistan with concrete assurances regarding cross-border militancy.
“Kabul is not giving us any guarantee to stop terrorism,” he said, adding that Afghan authorities had only offered verbal commitments and were unwilling to provide written assurances.
Warning of possible consequences, the minister said Pakistan had attempted to resolve tensions through diplomatic engagement facilitated by Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
“We tried very hard to make them understand with the support of three countries,” he told lawmakers, referring to discussions involving the Taliban administration.
The minister also said cooperation between the federal government and the provincial administration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on security matters had previously remained limited but had improved recently.
During the speech, opposition lawmakers interrupted proceedings with slogans as Asif praised the role and sacrifices of Pakistan’s armed forces.
“Our armed forces are giving unconditional sacrifices,” he said, adding that every citizen laying down their life at the border symbolised Pakistan’s resilience and identity.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated in recent years as Islamabad repeatedly urged the Taliban government to prevent Afghan territory from being used for attacks against Pakistan.
Pakistan has maintained that it will not compromise on national security and continues to press Kabul to take action against militant groups operating from Afghan soil.
