Pakistanโs Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the country is ready for a “two-front war” amid deadly clashes between Pakistan and Taliban forces.
In a televised interview, Pakistanโs Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that Islamabad is prepared to fight a two-front war, one against the Taliban and another against India if needed.
โPakistan is prepared for a two-front war,โ Asif said, citing a high possibility that India might โplay dirtyโ along the border. He added that strategies are already in place, though he declined to share specific details.
Pakistan-Afghanistan border clashes escalateย
Tensions with the Taliban regime have intensified after Pakistan launched air strikes on TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) camps inside Kabul and Kandahar. Taliban responded with retaliatory attacks, claiming to have killed 58 Pakistani soldiers and captured military equipment, including tanks.
Pakistan said it neutralised 200 militants in strikes. Ceasefire attempts mediated by Saudi Arabia and Qatar failed within days. The optics of Taliban fighters parading in captured Pakistani tanks and displaying weapons of fleeing soldiers have caused public embarrassment for Islamabad.
Asif claims Afghan gave them terrorismย
Asif, targeting Afghan refugees in Pakistan, said they brought nothing but terrorism and should return home. โWhat have we gained from them? Nothing except terrorism,โ he said. โNow that the situation is improving, the majority of Afghans should go back.โ The Pakistani government has launched a crackdown on undocumented Afghan migrants, a move drawing criticism from human rights groups.
Taliban acting on behalf of India: Asifย
Asif also alleged that the Taliban is acting on behalf of India, calling it a proxy war funded by Delhi. โThe decisions of the Afghan Taliban are being sponsored by Delhiโฆ Kabul is fighting a proxy war for India,โ Asif claimed. He pointed to a recent visit by Taliban foreign minister Muttaqi to India, suggesting secret planning against Pakistan.
Intelligence failure and military embarrassment for Pakย
The ease with which Taliban fighters overran Pakistani positions and captured military gear speaks a lot about intelligence and surveillance lapses in Pakistanโs armed forces. After a week of air strikes, retaliatory shelling, and over 100 deaths, a temporary ceasefire was brokered. But confidence remains low on both sides.