Asif rejects condemnation by Kabul, warns it of possible cross-border action

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned on Tuesday that Pakistan could carry out strikes inside Afghanistan following terrorist attacks in Islamabad and South Waziristan, slamming the Afghan Taliban regime for harbouring militants behind the violence.

Speaking on Geo News’ programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, the defence minister said cross-border action inside Afghanistan could not be “ruled out” following the two attacks.

Asif rejected the Afghan Taliban regime’s condemnation of the attacks, saying that such expressions of regret could not “be taken as proof of sincerity”. “Those sheltered by the Afghan Taliban are repeatedly attacking us,” he said.

The defence minister warned India and Afghanistan against any misadventure, saying Pakistan would “pay back in the same coin”.

“Pakistan will never initiate any military adventure,” he assured. However, he said: “We will not let any act of aggression go unanswered; we will respond forcefully.”

Prior to this, Asif warned that Pakistan was fully capable of delivering a befitting response to cross-border terrorism. “We are in a state of war. Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan Army is fighting this war only in the border areas along Afghanistan or in the remote regions of Balochistan should take the suicide attack in Islamabad as a wake-up call,” the defence czar wrote in a post on X.

Calling the fight against terrorism a war for all of Pakistan, Asif said the armed forces were providing the nation with a “sense of security” through their sacrifices.

In the aftermath of the attack, the defence minister expressed doubts over the prospects of successful negotiations with the Afghan Taliban regime.

“The Kabul leadership can stop terrorism in Pakistan, but bringing this war to Islamabad carries a message from Kabul,” he wrote.

Speaking to journalists separately in the federal capital, the defence minister said Islamabad was expecting such an attack as a pressure tactic. “The terrorist attack in Islamabad has sent us a message: all your areas are within our reach,” he added.

However, Asif vowed that Pakistan would not tolerate terrorism in either border or urban areas, saying that the country would respond strongly to terrorist attacks.