Says Trump welcome to mediate between Islamabad, Kabul with 48-hour ceasefire underway
Any transgression by Afghanistan will result in swift response from Pakistan: Khawaja Asif
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that if Afghanistan violates the 48-hour ceasefire set in place since 6pm on Wednesday (yesterday) on the latter’s request, Pakistan will be compelled to respond.
Speaking at a news segment broadcast by a private TV channel, Asif said the Afghan Taliban regime was effectively serving India’s interests, with the government in Kabul fighting a proxy war on India’s behalf.
Referring to the US president, the defence minister said, “Donald Trump has made efforts for ceasefires at the global level, and if he wishes to mediate for a ceasefire here as well, he is most welcome”.
Read: Explained: Pakistan-Afghanistan border conflict
Tensions along the Pak-Afghan border escalated last weekend, when clashes broke after Afghanistan opened unprovoked fire at multiple locations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan, prompting a swift and forceful response from the Pakistan Army. Several Afghan posts were destroyed and dozens of Afghan soliders and militants were killed.
Asif asserted that the Taliban’s intentions are not to bring peace but to escalate the conflict. “The tanks Afghanistan is showing do not even exist in our arsenal. It is beyond comprehension why they are making such false claims — I don’t know which junkyard they acquired those tanks from,” he said.
Asif further stated that Pakistan had agreed to hold talks and applied for visas in response to suggestions from friendly countries for dialogue. But, once the clashes broke out, the process was suspended and visa applications were withdrawn.
Read More: Taliban regime gets 48-hour reprieve
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the first confrontation took place on the night of 11–12 October, when Afghan Taliban forces, supported by “Indian-sponsored elements of Fitna al Khawarij,” launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan along the border.
Fitna al Khawarij is the state’s term for terrorists affiliated with banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) coined in May 2025.
A 48-hour ceasefire was agreed on at the behest of the Afghan Taliban regime after Pakistan’s “precision strikes” on Taliban and terrorist hideouts in Kandahar and Kabul.
According to the foreign affairs ministry, the decision was made at the Taliban’s request and with mutual consent from both sides. Both the parties are to hold a constructive dialogue and make sincere efforts to find a “positive solution to a complex but solvable issue,” said the ministry.
