Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned Afghanistan of 'open war' if Kabul continues to shelter and support terrorists operating against Pakistan.
Speaking during the National Assembly session, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader has said that Kabul was “fighting India’s Hindutva war” against Pakistan and claimed there was now “no difference” between Delhi and Kabul in their policies towards Islamabad.
He has said that Pakistan had made sincere diplomatic efforts through three countries and held lengthy talks with the Afghan government, including discussions lasting up to 19 hours, while maintaining dialogue even during periods of heightened terrorism.
Asif has said India would no longer engage Pakistan directly and was instead attempting to wage conflict through Afghanistan. He alleged that the Kabul government had become “a proxy of India” and was unwilling to provide guarantees regarding militant activity against Pakistan.
The defence minister has said that all of the political stakeholders were now united against the terrorism, stressing that militancy should not be treated as a provincial matter but as a national issue linked to the country’s survival.
He has called for a formal debate in the National Assembly on terrorism and said soldiers of the Pakistan Army were sacrificing their lives for the country in all provinces.
Asif has said that the commitments made for the former tribal areas had not been fulfilled, adding that all provinces had agreed to contribute funds while the federal government bore only partial responsibility for resolving the issue.
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