For almost half a century, Pakistan has carried Afghanistan’s weight on its back — not out of obligation, but out of compassion. When the Soviets marched in, we opened our homes. When the Americans arrived, we opened our hearts. We didn’t turn our backs or build fences; we built shelter, safety, and hope. Our towns filled with Afghan families who became part of our story, sharing our food, our schools, and our dreams. We stood by them through every storm, driven by faith and brotherhood. And in return, we asked for only one thing — that our border would stay peaceful, not become a doorway for terror.
Today, that promise lies shattered, trampled in the dust by the very people we sheltered. Our patience, stretched thin over years of diplomacy and restraint, has finally snapped. From across the border, a vile creed of terrorists—the Khawarij of the TTP and their affiliates—launches attacks against our children, our soldiers, and our citizens, only to retreat to the safety of their Afghan sanctuaries. We have watched this pattern with growing anger and frustration. We have provided evidence, we have made requests, we have pleaded for cooperation. In response, we have been met with denial, excuses, and the galling spectacle of Afghan leaders embracing our staunchest enemy in New Delhi.
We have all seen the video of India’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, brazenly admitting his strategy: to fund Taliban factions and use them against us, preying on their need for money. He stated clearly that they can do anything for money, and that India would provide it. This is not a conspiracy theory; it is a confession. Every suicide bombing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, every ambush in Balochistan, is a bloody testament to Doval’s strategy at play. When our soldiers are martyred by these mercenaries, what option are we left with?
Our restraint was mistaken for weakness. No more. The recent strikes we conducted deep inside Afghan territory were not an act of aggression; they were the inevitable consequence of a nation pushed too far. We destroyed their training camps, including the Asmat Ullah Karar Camp in Spin Boldak. We dismantled their command centers, pulverizing 21 of their posts. Our brave soldiers from FC 245 Wing, under Commander Sajid Raouf Khattak, took control of the main Afghan “Flag Post” near Angoor Adda and hoisted the green and white of Pakistan. When we targeted the Taliban headquarters in Kandahar, it was a message written in fire: your double game is over.
With a heavy heart we have made the painful decision to ask Afghan refugees to leave — people who for fifty years were welcomed into our homes and communities. This choice is not born of cruelty but of necessity: our hospitality was never meant to become a shield for those who kill our children and soldiers. We ask the Afghan authorities — and those who court them — to now take responsibility for their own people. If militants continue to be launched from Afghan soil, we will act decisively to destroy the bases that make those attacks possible, not to punish ordinary Afghans but to protect our families. Our brotherhood was betrayed and our generosity repaid with blood; grieving yet resolute, we will defend our homeland and do everything necessary to keep our people safe.
