Afghan Taliban regime acting as Indian proxy and backing terror groups in Pakistan: Khawaja Asif 

Islamabad (Web Desk): Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Wednesday stated that the entire country stands united against terrorism, saying there is complete coordination between the armed forces, the federal administration and provincial governments in tackling militancy.

Speaking in the National Assembly on a point of order, he said that meaningful cooperation between the federation and the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had remained limited until a few months ago, but added that the situation has improved as the seriousness of the threat has become more widely understood.

He termed the campaign against terrorism a fight linked directly to Pakistan’s existence and stressed that defeating militancy requires collective national resolve.

The minister said that the country’s armed forces, including the Army, Navy, Air Force and paramilitary organisations such as the Frontier Corps, reflect the unity of Pakistan and have rendered enormous sacrifices for national security.

He urged political circles to avoid exploiting the institution of the armed forces for political purposes and said Parliament should play its role in strengthening national solidarity.

Khawaja Asif further said the sacrifices of Pakistan’s security personnel belong to the entire nation and should not be connected with any particular province or region. He noted that soldiers from Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and other parts of the country are sacrificing their lives for Pakistan, making their martyrdom a symbol of national unity.

He called for complete harmony among all provinces and regions, including Gilgit-Baltistan, in order to eliminate terrorism from the country.

Commenting on Afghanistan, the defence minister said Pakistan has repeatedly tried to resolve the issue of cross-border terrorism through dialogue with Afghan authorities.

He said several rounds of discussions took place at different venues, including meetings held in Qatar and Türkiye, while Saudi Arabia also assisted in facilitating the talks.

The minister said that these engagements continued even during periods when terrorist incidents had intensified because Pakistan remained committed to finding a peaceful and workable solution through diplomacy.

However, he said the talks failed to deliver concrete results because the Afghan side did not provide written assurances that its territory would not be allowed to be used for attacks against Pakistan.

He said that militant organisations based in Afghanistan are being used to target Pakistan, describing the matter as a wider regional security concern.

Khawaja Asif further said that groups involved in activities against Pakistan were operating as proxies for India.

He said Pakistan’s preference is to end terrorism through negotiations and mutual understanding, but warned that if such efforts do not succeed, the country would take action as it has done in the past.

The minister added that the federal government fully supports the KP government in confronting the security challenge and praised the security forces for making daily sacrifices during anti-terror operations.

Speaking about the National Finance Commission (NFC) and commitments made regarding the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) regions, he said promises related to the development of the merged districts are still awaiting implementation despite consensus among provinces to allocate resources for their progress and rehabilitation.

The defence minister stressed that the issue must be resolved urgently through constitutional mechanisms and said matters concerning the merged districts should be collectively addressed on forums such as the NFC.