Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday delivered a strong rebuke to Kabul, asserting that all Afghan nationals living in Pakistan must return to their country. His statement comes amid renewed border tensions and the expiration of a fragile ceasefire between the two neighbours.
In a post on social media, Asif said, “All Afghans residing on Pakistani soil must return to their homeland; they now have their own government, their own caliphate in Kabul. Our land and resources belong to 250 million Pakistanis.”
The minister’s remarks followed reports of Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika province along the Durand Line, which the Taliban claimed had breached the truce. Although initial reports suggested the 48-hour ceasefire had been extended, Taliban officials accused Islamabad of aggression, stating that the truce had been “broken,” according to AFP.
Asif declared that Pakistan would no longer engage with Afghanistan under the same terms as before, stressing that Islamabad had shown “patience for years” without seeing any reciprocal cooperation. “There will be no more protest notes or appeals for peace; no delegations will go to Kabul,” he said. “Wherever the source of terrorism lies, it will have to pay a heavy price.”
Revealing that Pakistan had sent 836 protest notes and 13 demarches to Kabul over cross-border terror incidents, Asif said the country had reached the limits of its restraint. He further accused the Taliban regime of aligning with India and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), alleging that “the rulers of Kabul, who were once under our protection, are now sitting in India’s lap and conspiring against Pakistan.”
The defence minister underscored that Pakistan was fully prepared to defend itself against any threat from across the border. Earlier this week, he had warned that Islamabad would respond decisively if the Taliban “wished for war.”
Asif also highlighted the human and security toll faced by Pakistan since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, citing 10,347 terror incidents that claimed 3,844 lives, including civilians and security forces.
While Pakistan has repeatedly urged Kabul to stop militants from using Afghan territory for attacks, the Taliban administration continues to reject these allegations, maintaining that Afghan soil is not being used against any neighbouring country.
The latest war of words marks one of the sharpest escalations between the two sides in recent months, as Asif framed Pakistan’s new stance as one of sovereignty and self-reliance, declaring, “Self-respecting nations do not thrive on foreign land and resources.”