Kabul: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Friday launched a fresh attack on Afghanistan’s leadership, calling Kabul a “proxy of India” and urging all Afghans residing in Pakistan to return to their homeland. His remarks came amid rising border tensions and escalating cross-border clashes between the two neighbours.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Asif said Pakistan could “no longer afford” to maintain its previous ties with Kabul. “All Afghans residing on Pakistani soil must return to their homeland; they now have their own government or caliphate in Kabul,” he wrote, asserting that Pakistan’s “land and resources belong to 250 million Pakistanis.” He added, “Self-respecting nations do not thrive on foreign land and resources.”
The minister accused the Taliban government of working at the behest of India, claiming that the Afghan administration, along with New Delhi and the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was conspiring against Islamabad. Asif said Pakistan had issued 836 protest notes and 13 demarches to Afghanistan in recent years but received no meaningful response.
“There will no longer be protest notes or appeals for peace; no delegations will go to Kabul. Wherever the source of terrorism lies, it will have to pay a heavy price,” he warned, signalling a tougher stance.
The comments came as a 48-hour ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan expired at 6 pm local time. Although reports suggested that the truce was extended to allow talks in Doha, the situation along the border remained tense.
Pakistan has blamed the TTP, allegedly operating from Afghan soil, for a spate of deadly attacks, including one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district that killed 11 military personnel. According to Asif, since the Taliban took power in 2021, Pakistan has suffered 3,844 casualties — including civilians and security personnel — in 10,347 terrorist attacks.
The diplomatic row has also spilled over into sports. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced its withdrawal from the upcoming tri-nation T20I series involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka, following the deaths of three Afghan cricketers in what it termed a “cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime.”
Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes on Paktika province, calling them “absolutely immoral and barbaric” and a violation of human rights. He welcomed the ACB’s decision, saying national pride must take precedence.
The latest exchanges have further strained relations between Islamabad and Kabul, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of harbouring militants and aligning with India, while the Taliban regime continues to deny the allegations.