Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned today that Pakistan will continue to respond forcefully to terrorist attacks originating from Afghan soil, attributing the deterioration in security to the Afghan government’s failure to cooperate. He said Pakistan is no longer prepared to host additional Afghan refugees, insisted on decisive measures to secure the border, and accused a hostile nexus including elements in Afghanistan and proxies backed by India of attempting to destabilize the country.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told reporters that Islamabad had repeatedly informed Kabul that its territory was being used by terrorists to launch attacks into Pakistan and had urged Afghan authorities to prevent their land from becoming a safe haven for violent actors. He said those warnings went unheeded, which, he argued, has produced the present security environment.
Khawaja Asif described a widening nexus between terrorist outfits and certain Afghan elements and warned that external actors attempting to foment proxy conflict would not succeed. “If India pursues a proxy war through banned groups such as the TTP, it will be defeated,” he said, asserting that attempts to undermine Pakistan’s stability through proxies will fail.
On the subject of Afghan refugees, the minister reiterated Islamabad’s position that refugees should return to their homeland. “Our stance is clear: Afghan refugees should go back to Afghanistan. Pakistan is not in a position to provide further hospitality,” he said, adding that the government is determined to protect Pakistan’s borders and facilitate the orderly repatriation of refugees.
Khawaja Asif praised the Pakistan Armed Forces for their operations in response to cross-border attacks and pledged continued, proportionate responses to any aggression emanating from Afghan territory. He underscored that defending national sovereignty and the safety of Pakistani citizens remains the state’s foremost responsibility.
Concluding his remarks, the minister warned the international community and regional actors that Pakistan will not tolerate the exploitation of neighbouring territory for terrorism and insisted that the lack of Afghan cooperation had brought the situation to its current critical point. “Those who aim to destabilize us will learn Pakistan’s resolve,” he said.
