Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has intensified Islamabad’s accusations against Afghanistan, claiming that a large majority of individuals involved in terrorist attacks targeting mosques, schools, markets and Pakistani military installations are Afghan nationals.
In remarks posted on social media, Asif alleged that approximately 70–80 percent of those carrying out terrorist attacks in Pakistan are Afghan nationals, linking the issue to what Islamabad describes as the continued presence and activity of militant networks operating from Afghan territory.
The remarks represent a further escalation in Pakistan’s increasingly forceful public criticism of the Taliban authorities in Kabul, as tensions between the two neighboring countries remain high over cross-border militancy, border security and the future of Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan.
Asif made the comments while responding to criticism surrounding Pakistani students who had expressed solidarity with Afghan students facing uncertainty regarding their education and legal status in Pakistan. The defense minister questioned the political motivations of some Pakistani students supporting their Afghan counterparts, suggesting that such expressions of solidarity could reflect political affiliations rather than humanitarian concern.
In his broader remarks, Asif emphasized Pakistan’s decades-long role in hosting Afghan refugees. He said Pakistan had accommodated millions of Afghans over approximately five decades despite its own limited resources, particularly during successive periods of conflict and instability in Afghanistan.
According to Asif, Islamabad had expected the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2021 and the subsequent change in Afghanistan’s political order to contribute to improved border security and more peaceful relations between the two countries.
Instead, he argued, Pakistan had continued to face attacks and security threats that Islamabad attributes to militants allegedly operating from Afghanistan.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of permitting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and associated militant networks to maintain bases, logistical infrastructure and freedom of movement on Afghan territory.
Islamabad maintains that militants based in Afghanistan have been involved in planning and conducting attacks inside Pakistan, and has repeatedly demanded that Kabul take action against groups it considers responsible for cross-border terrorism.
The Taliban authorities have consistently rejected these accusations. Afghan officials have maintained that Afghanistan does not allow its territory to be used against another country and have disputed Pakistan’s characterization of the security situation. The competing claims remain a major source of tension between Islamabad and Kabul, with neither side publicly accepting the other’s central narrative regarding responsibility for the continuing violence.
