In a hard-hitting statement on X (formerly Twitter), Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared that Islamabad’s five years of efforts to build peace with Kabul have yielded “no positive response” from the Afghan Taliban regime. Accusing Afghanistan of becoming an Indian proxy and harboring anti-Pakistan terrorists, Asif announced the end of diplomatic courtesies, warning that all Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan must return, and that future threats will be met with heavy consequences.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif released a detailed summary of Pakistan’s diplomatic and security-level engagements with the Taliban government since their takeover in 2021. He listed:
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4 visits by the Foreign Minister
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2 visits by the Defence Minister and ISI
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5 visits by Pakistan’s Special Representative
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5 visits by the Secretary
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1 visit by the National Security Advisor
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8 Joint Coordination Committee meetings
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225 Border Flag Meetings
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836 protest notes
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13 formal demarches
Despite these extensive engagements, Asif said, Pakistan has received “no positive response” from Kabul.
He further revealed the staggering cost Pakistan has paid in the fight against terrorism: 10,347 attacks since 2021 and 3,844 lives lost — including civilians, soldiers, and law enforcement personnel.
Khawaja Asif asserted that “Afghanistan is now acting as a proxy for India” and that the ongoing wave of terrorism has been “imposed on Pakistan by India, the Afghan regime, and the banned TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan).”
He added that the same Taliban leaders who once sought shelter on Pakistani soil are now “plotting against Pakistan while sitting in India’s lap.”
Stating that Pakistan “can no longer afford to maintain relations with Kabul as in the past,” the defence minister announced a major policy shift: all Afghan nationals currently residing in Pakistan must return home. “They have their own government, their own so-called Islamic Emirate, five years have passed. The time for forced hospitality is over,” he said.
“Pakistan’s land and resources belong to its 250 million citizens,” Asif stressed. “Dignified nations do not live off foreign soil or handouts.”
In a clear warning to both Kabul and any actors supporting terrorism on Pakistani soil, the minister concluded:
“There will be no more protest notes or peace appeals. No delegations will be sent to Kabul. Wherever terrorism is being orchestrated from, a heavy price will be paid.”
