With a sudden spike in terror incidents in Pakistan –a suicide bombing in Islamabad and the attempted siege of a Cadet College in South Waziristan – Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that the country could once again carry out strikes inside Afghanistan.
Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, the defence minister said that cross-border action inside Afghanistan “could not be ruled out” following the two attacks, and rejected the Afghan Taliban’s condemnation over the same.
He said that such expressions of regret could not be taken as proof of sincerity as those attacking Pakistan were being sheltered by the Afghan Taliban regime.
On the involvement of India-backed terrorists and the Afghan Taliban proxy Fitna al-Khawarij, Asif warned both New Delhi and Kabul against any misadventure, saying Pakistan would “pay back in the same coin”.
“Pakistan will never initiate any military adventure,” he said but warned that the country would not let any act of aggression go unanswered.
“We will respond forcefully,” Asif said.
It may be noted that the attacks come days after talks between Islamabad and Kabul ended in deadlock. The negotiations had started following cross-border action over Afghan regime’s refusal to keep their soil from being used for terror in Pakistan.
Earlier in the day, Asif also said that Pakistan was in a state of war and Tuesday’s bombing in Islamabad was “a message from Kabul”, to which Pakistan has full strength to respond.
“We are in a state of war. Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan Army is fighting this war in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and the remote areas of Balochistan should take today’s suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts as a wake-up call,” he wrote in a post on X.
The defence minister said it was a war for all of Pakistan, in which the army is giving sacrifices every day and making the people feel secure. “In this environment, it would be futile to hold out greater hope for successful negotiations with Kabul.”
“The rulers of Kabul can stop terrorism in Pakistan, but bringing this war all the way to Islamabad is a message from Kabul, to which — praise be to Allah — Pakistan has the full strength to respond,” he added.