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ISLAMABAD/KABUL: Defence Minister Khawaj Asif threatened on Wednesday to “obliterate” the ruling Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan, a dramatic escalation of rhetoric after the collapse of talks towards a lasting peace between the South Asian nations. Pakistan reacted with fury to the failure of the talks, which sources said ended with a disagreement over militant groups allegedly using Afghanistan as a base to attack its security forces along their border. “Pakistan does not require to employ even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding,” Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in a post on X. The Taliban and Afghanistan’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the remarks. A Pakistani security source said the Taliban had been unwilling to commit to rein in the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group hostile to Pakistan that Islamabad says operates with impunity inside Afghanistan. An Afghan source familiar with the talks said they ended after “tense exchanges” on the issue, adding that the Afghan side said it no control over the Pakistani Taliban, which has launched attacks against Pakistani troops in recent weeks. The sources sought anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly. The October clashes began after Pakistani air strikes this month on Kabul, the Afghan capital, among other locations, targeting the head of the Pakistani Taliban.—Reuters BR Staff Reporter adds: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif expressed strong disapproval of recent “venomous statements” made by several Afghan officials. According to Asif, these remarks are a clear indication of the “devious and splintered mindset” of the current Taliban administration. In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, the minister said Pakistan indulged in talks to give peace a chance on the request of brotherly countries, which were persistently being beseeched by Taliban regime. He maintained it is sad to see how the Taliban regime is blindly pushing Afghanistan into yet another conflict, just to retain its usurped rule and maintain the war economy that sustains them. He said despite fully knowing their inherent limitations and hollowness of their war cries, they are beating the war drums to maintain their crumbling facade. Khawaja Asif said the war mongers amongst the Taliban regime, who have vested interests in the continuation of instability in the region, should know that they have probably misread our resolve and courage. The Defence Minister said if the Taliban regime wants to fight us, the world will see that their threats are only ‘performative circus’. He categorically stated that Pakistan will respond to any terrorist attack or suicide bombing on its soil. Meanwhile, in a post on his X handle, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said the latest round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Turkiye failed to bring about any workable solution. He said the Afghan Taliban delegation repeatedly agreed to Pakistan’s logical and legitimate demand for credible and decisive action against terrorist organizations. He said sufficient and irrefutable evidence was provided by Pakistan which was acknowledged by Afghan Taliban and the hosts; however, regrettably, the Afghan side gave no assurances. The Afghan side kept deviating from the core issue, evading the key point upon which the dialogue process was initiated. The Information Minister recalled that Pakistan repeatedly engaged with the Afghan Taliban Regime regarding persistent cross border terrorism by Indian-abetted Fitna al Khwarij (TTP) and Indian proxy, Fitna al Hindustan (BLA). The Afghan Taliban Regime has been asked time and again to fulfil their written commitments to Pakistan and to the international community in Doha Agreement. However, he said, Pakistan’s fervent efforts proved futile due to Afghan Taliban Regime’s unabated support to anti-Pakistan terrorists. Tarar said since the Taliban regime bears no responsibility towards the people of Afghanistan and thrives on war economy, it desires to drag and mire Afghan people into a needless war. The Information Minister mentioned that on the request of brotherly countries of Qatar and Turkiye, Pakistan engaged with the Afghan Taliban regime first in Doha, Qatar and then in Istanbul, Turkiye on a single point agenda; i.e., soliciting action by Afghan Taliban Regime to prevent use of Afghan soil by the terrorist organisations as training-cum-logistic base and jump off point for terrorist activities in Pakistan. He said Pakistan has always desired, advocated and immensely sacrificed for peace and prosperity for the people of Afghanistan. In the same spirit, Pakistan has held countless rounds of talks and parleys with the Afghan Taliban Regime but unfortunately they have always remained indifferent to Pakistan’s losses. Sadly, after sustaining such huge losses of men and material for four long years, Pakistan’s patience has run its course. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
