Asif accused the Taliban of becoming an Indian proxy after the withdrawal of foreign forces in 2021
Khawaja Muhammad Asif. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Friday declared an “all-out confrontation” with the Taliban regime, posting on X: “Now it is open war between us and you.”
The comments came as the armed forces silenced enemy guns along the border. The operation was Pakistan’s most widespread bombardment of the Afghan capital and its first air strikes on the southern power base of the Taliban authorities since they returned to power in 2021.
The defence minister struck the hardest tone, warning Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership that Pakistan’s patience had run out and that there would now be open war between the two neighbours.
“We know the standing of our neighbour [Afghanistan]. We are your neighbours and we know your capability,” he said, adding that “our patience has limits – now there will be an open war,” he wrote in a post on social media.
The defence minister stressed that the Pakistan Army was not a force that had come “from across the seas” but Pakistan’s own military, fully capable of crushing “Indian-backed proxies and Afghan aggression”.
Asif accused the Taliban of becoming an Indian proxy after the withdrawal of foreign forces in 2021 and claimed they had harboured and exported terrorists while denying basic rights to their own citizens.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah Khan told the Senate that the entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces in the fight against terrorism, as the house unanimously adopted a resolution reaffirming national unity against aggression and militancy.
Responding to Opposition Leader Senator Raja Nasir Abbas during a discussion on the resolution, Sanaullah said the unanimous passage of the resolution by the House of Federation reflected the collective will of the people and endorsed the resolve of the nation.
He said that at critical moments the Pakistani nation had consistently placed full confidence in its armed forces and stood firmly behind them. Referring to recent cross-border aggression, he said the armed forces had delivered a strong and effective response while exercising restraint.
Sanaullah said Pakistan’s armed forces were highly professional and fully capable of responding decisively to any hostile act, but had demonstrated maturity and responsibility by limiting action to what was necessary.
He warned that elements involved in cross-border activities had previously been given opportunities to behave responsibly, but if aggression continued, they would be dealt with firmly.
The adviser said the government and political leadership stood fully aligned with the military leadership’s decisions regarding national security and counter-terrorism operations.
During the debate, Senator Ali Zafar proposed the formation of a regional mechanism to address the situation. Sanaullah suggested referring the matter to the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs for in-camera briefings from the Foreign Office and relevant security institutions before any decision was taken.
He noted that friendly countries had facilitated negotiations in the past, but those efforts did not yield lasting results. However, he described the proposal as constructive and deserving of detailed consideration at an appropriate stage.
Sanaullah said the central message of the resolution was clear: the nation remains united against terrorism and in support of its armed forces, law enforcement agencies and the families of martyrs.
He added that while political matters should ideally be resolved through dialogue among stakeholders, issues of national security required collective resolve. The prime minister had extended invitations for dialogue on multiple occasions, he said, adding that such discussions could proceed separately from security-related concerns.
He urged opposition members to keep political differences separate from the national stance against terrorism, saying that while disagreements are part of democratic politics, unity on national security remains paramount.
