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Khawaja Muhammad Asif. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif declared an “all-out confrontation” with the Taliban regime on Friday, writing X: “Now it’s open war between us and you.”
The comments came as the armed forces silenced enemy guns along the border. The operation was Pakistan’s most extensive bombardment of the Afghan capital and its first airstrikes on the Taliban authorities’ southern power base since they returned to power in 2021.
The defense minister struck the harshest tone, warning Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership that Pakistan’s patience had run out and that there would now be open war between the two neighbours.
“We know our neighbor’s position [Afghanistan]. We are your neighbors and we know your capabilities,” he said, adding that “our patience has limits – now there will be open war,” he wrote in a post on social media.
The defense minister emphasized that the Pakistan Army was not a force that had come “from across the seas”, but Pakistan’s own military, fully capable of crushing “Indian-backed proxies and Afghan aggression”.
Asif accused the Taliban of becoming an Indian proxy after the withdrawal of foreign forces in 2021, claiming they had harbored and exported terrorists while denying their own citizens basic rights.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah Khan told the Senate that the entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces in the fight against terrorism as the House unanimously passed a resolution affirming national unity against aggression and militancy.
Reacting to the Leader of the Opposition, Senator Raja Nasir Abbas, during a discussion on the resolution, Sanaullah said the unanimous passage of the resolution by the Federation House reflected the collective will of the people and supported the nation’s resolve.
He said that at critical moments, the Pakistani nation had consistently had full confidence in its armed forces and stood firmly behind them. Referring to recent cross-border aggression, he said the armed forces had delivered a strong and effective response while exercising restraint.
Sanaullah said Pakistan’s armed forces were highly professional and fully capable of responding decisively to any hostile action, but had shown maturity and responsibility by limiting action to what was necessary.
He warned that elements involved in cross-border activities had previously been given an opportunity to behave responsibly, but if the aggression continued, they would be dealt with harshly.
The adviser said the government and political leadership were fully aligned with the military leadership’s decisions regarding national security and counter-terrorism.
During the debate, Senator Ali Zafar proposed the formation of a regional mechanism to deal with the situation. Sanaullah suggested referring the matter to the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs for in-camera briefings by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant security institutions before any decision was taken.
He noted that friendly countries had facilitated negotiations in the past, but these efforts did not yield lasting results. However, he described the proposal as constructive and deserving of detailed consideration at an appropriate time.
Sanaullah said the central message of the resolution was clear: the nation remains united against terrorism and in support of its armed forces, law enforcement agencies and the families of the martyrs.
He added that while political issues should ideally be resolved through dialogue between stakeholders, issues of national security required a collective solution. The prime minister had extended invitations for dialogue on several occasions, he said, adding that such discussions could proceed separately from security-related concerns.
He urged opposition members to keep political differences separate from the national stance against terrorism, saying that while differences are part of democratic politics, unity on national security remains paramount.
