Kh Asif accuses Kabul of becoming ‘India’s proxy’, demands return of Afghans

• Defence minister says India, Afghanistan and TTP jointly imposing terrorism on Pakistan
• Terms Kabul ‘a proxy of India’ after ‘five years of Pakistan’s efforts and sacrifices’
• Lists 836 protest notes, 13 demarches, and multiple top-level visits to Kabul
• Vows any source of terrorism will ‘pay a heavy price’ amid ongoing border tension

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday castigated the Afghan regime for failing to respond to years of Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach and warned that Kabul had effectively become “a proxy of India,” blaming a nexus of foreign and militant actors for recent cross-border terrorism and clashes.

In a post on X, Asif said India, Afghanistan and Fitna al-Khawarij—a state term for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—were jointly “imposing terrorism on Pakistan.” He lamented that elements who once sought refuge in Pakistan were now allegedly engaged in conspiracies against the country.

طالبان کے 2021سے اقتدار میں آنے کےبعد سے لیکر پاکستان میں امن اور افغانستان سے دراندازی کے لئے ھماری حکومت کی کوششوں کا تفصیلی جائزہ۔۔۔

1-وزیر خاجہ کے کابل وزٹ 4
2-وزیردفاع اور ISI وزٹ2
3-نمائندہ خصوصی 5وزٹ
4-سیکرٹری 5وزٹ
5- نیشنل سیکورٹی ایڈوائزر 1وزٹ
6-جوائنٹ کوآرڈینیشن…

— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) October 17, 2025

“Pakistan could no longer tolerate relations with Kabul as in the past,” he wrote, and directed that all Afghans residing in Pakistan must return to their homeland, adding that only those holding valid Pakistani visas would be permitted to stay. He framed the move as the end of “decades of enforced hospitality,” stressing that Pakistan’s land and resources belong to its 250 million citizens.

Asif listed an extensive catalogue of Islamabad’s diplomatic and institutional efforts aimed at resolving the security problem: four visits by the foreign minister to Kabul; two visits by the defence minister and ISI; five visits by the prime minister’s special representative; five visits by the foreign secretary; one visit by the national security adviser; eight Joint Coordination Committee meetings; 225 border flag meetings; 836 protest notes; and 13 demarches. He said these repeated engagements had produced little positive response.

The defence minister’s remarks come against the backdrop of intense border hostilities earlier this month, when Pakistani forces reported confronting Taliban and allied militants after what Islamabad described as unprovoked attacks on frontier posts. The military has said it carried out precision strikes in Afghan territory in self-defence, and reported significant militant casualties; Kabul has accused Pakistan of violating its sovereignty.

Asif reiterated that any source of terrorism would “pay a heavy price,” while reaffirming Pakistan’s demand for peaceful, neighbourly relations based on respect for sovereignty and tangible action against militant groups operating from Afghan soil.

Analysts say the minister’s stark tone signals a hardening Islamabad posture following weeks of clashes—a shift from patient diplomacy to conditional engagement that ties future ties with Kabul to verifiable anti-terror measures and stricter controls on militants and foreign interference.