Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in the National Assembly of Pakistan that India is using Afghanistan to wage a proxy war against Pakistan, adding that New Delhi no longer has the courage to confront Pakistan directly after its “defeat” in last year’s Marka-e-Haq.
Responding to points raised by Asad Qaiser during the assembly session, Khawaja Asif said the Kabul administration has become an Indian proxy and is unwilling to stop militant groups from using Afghan territory for attacks inside Pakistan.
He said Pakistan held three rounds of talks with Afghanistan with the support of Türkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but the negotiations remained inconclusive.
The defence minister said Islamabad sought guarantees from Kabul that Afghan soil would not be used against Pakistan, but Afghanistan was not prepared to provide such assurances.
Asif praised Pakistan’s armed forces for their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and said the country’s leadership was united in eliminating militancy.
He added that Pakistan still wants dialogue and cooperation with Afghanistan to counter terrorism, but warned that if Kabul does not cooperate, it will receive the same response that Pakistan gave to New Delhi.