Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has warned that Pakistan will not hesitate to carry out fresh strikes in Afghanistan if the authorities in Kabul fail to provide credible assurances of peace.
“Pakistan won’t hesitate to conduct new strikes in Afghanistan, unless someone in Kabul can underwrite peace,” he said during an interview with FRANCE 24.
The minister, while talking about the security situation in Pakistan following the recent suicide bombing at an Imambargah in Islamabad, said that almost all franchises of terrorism were present in the country because of the non-seriousness of Kabul towards curbing terrorism.
“Complicity would be a better word,” he said.
Asif also accused India of waging a “proxy war” against Pakistan and said that New Delhi and Kabul, along with militant groups, are “on the same page” when it comes to targeting Pakistan, and emphasised that a direct conflict with India remained “a possibility”.
It may be noted that the warning comes after border clashes between Islamabad and Kabul in October 2025 when Afghan Taliban forces and militants launched attacks on Pakistani border posts. According to reports, more than 200 Taliban and affiliated militants were killed while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred defending the border.
While Pakistan also conducted precision strikes in Kandahar and Kabul targeting militant positions, both countries, despite several rounds of talks, were unable to reach an effective ceasefire agreement due to the Afghan Taliban’s refusal to take action against terrorist groups.
On the question of Pakistan’s stance toward Israel, Asif said the country was not considering normalisation of ties.
“I don’t see this option even being considered by Pakistan,” he said, noting that any future engagement would depend on Palestinians securing the right to self-determination in their own homeland.
