ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said they are done with Kabul as there is no longer a shred of positive expectation from Taliban as tensions between the two sides spiral with alarming speed after back to back attacks.
His bold statement comes hours after Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid accused Islamabad of launching overnight air strikes inside Afghanistan, claiming that triggered fresh storm across region. Mujahid, in a post on social media, accused Islamabad of “bombing” Khost and carrying out strikes in Kunar and Paktika.
In his recent appearance, the defence minister confronted with questions about whether Pakistan was denying alleged civilian casualties from the supposed strikes. He said Yes, we retaliate, but civilians are never our target. We are a disciplined force with traditions and a code of conduct.
He termed Afghan Taliban ‘ragtag group with no code, religion, and tradition’, saying we are completely writing them off. We have no good hope left. “Is this their own invented Shariah? This is not the Shariah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), he added.
The minister said Turkiye, Iran, and Qatar were pushing for calm, arguing that peace would benefit the entire region, including Afghanistan itself but said all those efforts are not bringing results due to ill intention of Afghan Taliban.
He said Pakistan made sincere efforts to maintain cordial ties, recalling how he personally welcomed the Taliban after they returned to power in Kabul and visited Afghanistan multiple times.
He warned that Taliban’s actions were destroying Afghanistan itself and predicted that the crisis could soon force regional neighbours to intervene. “Their isolation will deepen, and complete isolation will lead to collapse,” he cautioned.
Pakistan not interested in further talks with Afghan Taliban amid Deadlock
