Islamabad [Pakistan], October 29 (ANI): Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday issued a severe warning to the Taliban regime, threatening to strike “deep into Afghanistan” and “push them back to the caves” if another militant attack occurs on Pakistani soil, Dawn reported.
The aggressive statement followed the collapse of peace talks in Turkey and a surge in border clashes. Four days of negotiations in Istanbul between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban concluded without resolution. The talks were mediated by Turkey and Qatar after deadly border clashes and a temporary ceasefire that began on October 19.
In a pre-dawn announcement, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the latest round of talks between the two countries in Turkiye, aimed at addressing cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghan soil, “failed to bring about any workable solution.”
“We will conduct strikes, we definitely will,” Asif told reporters at Parliament House when asked about Pakistan’s options in case of further cross-border conflict with Afghanistan, as per Dawn. “If their territory is used and they violate our territory, then, if we need to go deep into Afghanistan to retaliate, we surely will,” he added.
Asif stated that Pakistan had engaged in talks to give peace a chance at the request of friendly countries that the rulers in Kabul had approached for mediation. However, he said, “Venomous statements by certain Afghan officials clearly reflect the devious and splintered mindset of the Taliban regime.”
“Let me assure them that Pakistan does not need to employ even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding. If they wish so, the repeat of the scenes of their rout at Tora Bora, with their tails between their legs, would surely be a spectacle to watch for the people of the region,” Asif declared.
The defense minister further said Afghanistan neither “fulfills the definition of a state” nor was its interim administration recognized as such. “They are benefiting financially by being the rulers,” he added.
When asked whether the Afghan Taliban were taking their country toward a situation similar to the United States’ military operation in Tora Bora in December 2001, Asif said, “It is definitely a possibility.”
His remarks came just hours after he issued a strongly worded warning to the Taliban rulers in Kabul, telling them to test Islamabad’s resolve at their “own peril and doom.”
“We have borne your treachery and mockery for too long, but no more. Any terrorist attack or suicide bombing inside Pakistan shall give you the bitter taste of such misadventures. Be assured and test our resolve and capabilities, if you wish so, at your own peril and doom,” Asif posted on social media platform X, as per Dawn.
In a separate development, the United Nations voiced concern over the collapse of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, expressing hope that the “fighting will not renew.” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric was asked about the breakdown of the negotiations and whether it was a concern for the UN.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have seen a worsening of ties in recent days, marked by border skirmishes, counter-statements, and mutual allegations, Dawn reported.
The hostilities began earlier this month when an attack was launched on Pakistan from Afghan territory on the night of October 11. The attack followed Taliban accusations of airstrikes by Pakistan into Afghanistan—an allegation Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied. (ANI)
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