ISLAMABAD: Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was now standing firmly with the Centre in the fight against terrorism, saying both sides were finally on the “same page”.
The defence minister made the remarks on the floor of the National Assembly of Pakistan while responding to an emotionally charged speech by Noor Alam Khan of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, who criticised both the federal and provincial governments over the deteriorating security situation in the province.
“We did not have the KP government’s cooperation for a very long time, [but] now we have [it]. They are standing firmly with the Centre and the armed forces against terrorism. There is no doubt,” Asif said.
“It is a good thing that we are all on the same page,” he added.
Asif said that while the Centre had some responsibility in addressing terrorism, all provinces also needed to contribute resources to tackle the issue collectively.
The defence minister also rejected suggestions that Islamabad should initiate fresh dialogue with Kabul, saying Pakistan had already made repeated attempts to engage with the Afghan authorities without success.
“We have done so. I did three rounds myself,” he said, recalling his 2023 visit to Kabul as well as meetings held in Turkiye and Qatar last year.
Asif noted that Pakistan continued dialogue with the Afghan Taliban government even while terrorist attacks were taking place inside the country.
“Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia played a role but no solution came out of it,” he said. “The Kabul government is not ready to give us a guarantee that no attacks will be carried out against Pakistan from their soil.”
The minister reaffirmed that the federal government stood with the KP administration and referred to the sacrifices made by security personnel, including the recent attack on a police post in Bannu in which 22 people were killed.
“Our loss is a common loss,” Asif said, adding that KP and Balochistan had suffered more attacks because both provinces share borders with Afghanistan.
“We have made all possible efforts. You cannot even imagine,” he said, adding that talks lasting up to 19 hours had been held with Kabul officials.
“They are ready to verbally agree, but not in writing,” he added.
During his speech, Asif also reiterated Islamabad’s allegation that the Kabul authorities were acting as a “proxy of India”.
“After India’s defeat in Marka-i-Haq last year, thanks to God, they would not even dare to enter into a direct confrontation with us. So, the entire war now is being fought with Pakistan through Kabul,” he said.
Asif alleged that terrorist attacks inside Pakistan were being carried out by groups facilitated through Afghan territory. Despite that, he said, Pakistan continued diplomatic engagement but achieved no results.
“Now, there may be efforts underway for some communication through some third country. I cannot say anything conclusive about it,” he added.
The defence minister said Pakistan had sincerely tried negotiations through three countries and had repeatedly urged Afghan authorities to stop supporting militant groups and dismantle their camps and bases.
“So there remains only one alternative to this […] there will be open war then,” he warned.
Asif further claimed that Afghanistan was “fighting Hindutva’s war against us” and referred to the Afghan Taliban as a “proxy of the Hindutva”.
“Whether it is the eastern border or the western, the enemy is the same. There is no difference between Delhi and Kabul at the moment,” he remarked.
He added that Pakistan still hoped for dialogue and some form of arrangement with Kabul to stop terrorism.
“But if they are not ready, then we will do to Kabul what we have done to Delhi,” Asif declared.
The remarks came days after Islamabad issued a strong demarche to Afghanistan over the May 10 suicide attack in Bannu that killed 15 police personnel.
Pakistan has witnessed a rise in militant violence since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle militant sanctuaries on Afghan soil, especially those linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Pakistani officials say their concerns have largely gone unanswered.
In the latest diplomatic engagement between the two countries, officials from Islamabad and Kabul met in Urumqi last month and agreed to avoid escalation in armed tensions.
Earlier during the National Assembly session, Noor Alam Khan lamented that people in KP were living under miserable conditions because of frequent terrorist attacks.
He alleged that displaced residents from KP were mistreated by police in Punjab and treated like criminals even when travelling with their families.
Alam also criticised the PTI-led KP government, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government in Punjab and the Centre for failing to adequately protect citizens.
Responding to him, Asif accused Alam of promoting divisions on ethnic lines.
“Why do you always talk about one nationality and on ethnic lines?” Asif asked, saying that people across the country were sacrificing in the fight against terrorism.
His remarks triggered a strong reaction from Alam and PTI lawmakers Iqbal Afridi and Junaid Akbar, who stood up and exchanged harsh words with the defence minister.
Afridi, who had demanded time to speak on electricity-related issues, became enraged and started hurling abuses at Speaker Ayaz Sadiq as well as Khawaja Asif.
The confrontation escalated when Afridi reportedly became involved in a physical altercation with fellow PTI lawmakers, while opposition members attempted to prevent the situation from worsening.
Amid the disorder, Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah gave the floor to PPP lawmaker Sharmila Faruqui. However, as PTI members continued shouting and exchanging abusive remarks, the deputy speaker adjourned the session.
Even after adjournment, Afridi and PTI lawmaker Saleem Rehman attempted to move aggressively towards each other, prompting the Sergeants-at-Arms to intervene.
Maulana Abdul Haideri also arrived at the scene as tensions rose further, while fellow PTI lawmakers eventually escorted Afridi, Akbar and Rehman away from the assembly floor.