‘One enemy on both borders’: Khawaja Asif says Kabul acting as India’s proxy

ISLAMABAD: Khawaja Asif on Tuesday issued a strong warning to Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration over alleged support for militant groups, saying Pakistan would treat threats from Kabul in the same manner as those from New Delhi.

Addressing the National Assembly in Islamabad, the defence minister said Pakistan currently faced “one enemy” on both its eastern and western borders, adding that he saw no distinction between the governments in Delhi and Kabul.

Asif alleged that the Afghan administration had effectively become a “proxy” for India and continued to avoid providing firm assurances to Islamabad on the issue of cross-border militancy.

“Kabul is not giving us any guarantee to stop terrorism,” he said, claiming Afghan authorities had only offered verbal commitments without any formal written assurances.

Warning of possible escalation, the minister said Pakistan could be pushed toward conflict if militant support continued. “If they do not stop backing terrorists, then there will be war,” he stated.

He added that Islamabad had attempted to resolve tensions through diplomatic engagement involving Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, saying the three countries had supported efforts to convince the Taliban administration to address Pakistan’s security concerns.

The defence minister also referred to security coordination within Pakistan, saying the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had previously shown limited cooperation with the federal government on counterterrorism matters, though coordination had recently improved.

His speech was met with interruptions and slogan chanting from opposition lawmakers as he praised the role and sacrifices of Pakistan’s armed forces.

“Our armed forces are giving unconditional sacrifices,” Asif said, adding that those laying down their lives at the borders represented the country’s identity and resilience.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated sharply in recent years, with Islamabad repeatedly urging the Taliban administration to prevent Afghan territory from being used for attacks inside Pakistan.

Although several friendly nations have attempted to mediate between the two sides, Pakistan has maintained that it will not compromise on national security and continues to insist that Kabul take concrete action against militant groups.

Previous mediation efforts led by Türkiye and Qatar reportedly helped reduce tensions temporarily last year, but failed to produce a long-term agreement between Islamabad and Kabul.