Pakistan’s Defense Minister Accuses Kabul and India of Fueling Insecurity
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has accused Kabul and New Delhi of aligning against Islamabad, stating that his country is facing a “proxy war.” In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Asif claimed that India and Kabul stand on the same front, an allegation that New Delhi has denied.
Expressing displeasure over the expanding ties between Kabul and India, Asif said that the close relationship between the two poses security challenges for Pakistan. He emphasized that while India rejects this accusation, the strong relationship between New Delhi and Kabul is an undeniable fact.
In a discussion with Deutsche Welle’s Urdu service, the Pakistani minister referred to his country’s past policies toward Afghanistan, saying Islamabad is now paying the price for decisions made in the 1980s and after the September 11 attacks. He added, “What is happening in Kabul is the consequence of actions we took in the past.”
The Pakistani official had previously acknowledged that for decades, his country acted as a mercenary force serving Western interests in Afghanistan, and the repercussions of those policies continue.
As of the publication of this report, the Taliban administration has not issued an official response to these statements. However, some Afghan political analysts describe the defense minister’s remarks as irresponsible. Sherdel Pasoon, a political analyst, said that such contradictory positions from a senior defense official could exacerbate distrust and regional tensions.
Verbal tensions between Pakistani officials and the Taliban administration continue amid mutual accusations in recent months of harboring armed opposition groups, claims repeatedly denied by Kabul.
