Islamabad (Kubha News) – Khawaja Muhammad Asif, the Pakistan Defense Minister, states that “terrorism” in his country mainly originates from Afghanistan.
Asif, who had celebrated and praised the Taliban’s victory following the signing of the Doha agreement between the Taliban and the United States, adopted a hostile stance towards their government after Taliban takeover of Kabul.
Asif told reporters in Sialkot on Monday: “Most terrorism against us is coming from Afghanistan. Some terrorists enter through border areas [which are] adjacent to Afghanistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.”
The Pakistani Defense Minister says that authorities had previously tracked down hideouts of militants in Pakistan, and Islamabad was aware of their hideouts in Afghanistan as well. He said, “We have raised this issue with Afghanistan too.”
According to military experts, from 2001 to 2021, the Afghan government, NATO forces, and the United States accused the Pakistani government of supporting the TTP, Haqqani network, and Taliban against Afghanistan. However, after the fall of republic, Islamabad is attempting to shift global perception towards itself by blaming Kabul.
Increase in TTP attacks in Pakistan last year darkened relations between this Islamabad and the Taliban government, prompting Pakistan to initiate a campaign to expel Afghan migrants in November 2023.
Referring to the recent attack in North Waziristan which resulted in the deaths of seven Pakistani soldiers, the Pakistani Defense Minister said that some facilitators of these attacks have been traced and Islamabad has raised this issue with the Taliban.
He added, “Pakistan is an independent country, and Afghans who want to enter Pakistan can do so through valid travel documents such as passports and visas.”
The Taliban government has consistently rejected Pakistan’s claim of the presence of Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan and has stated that Islamabad should address its own security issues within its borders.