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Pak’s Khawaja Asif warns Afghanistan of ‘50x stronger’ response, repeats rejected 'Delhi puppet' claim
According to Afghan and Pakistani sources, both sides had earlier agreed to a ceasefire on October 19 in Doha but failed to make progress in Istanbul.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has accused Afghanistan of acting as a proxy for India, warning that any aggression against Islamabad would be met with a response “50 times stronger.”
Speaking to Pakistani media, Asif launched a sharp attack on Afghanistan’s leadership, claiming it was being manipulated by India.
“The people in Kabul pulling the strings and staging the puppet show are being controlled by Delhi,” he said, as quoted by Dawn.
Asif went on to allege that India was using Afghanistan to compensate for what he called its “defeat on their western border,” referring to the military standoff between the two countries in May.
“Whenever we got close to an agreement when negotiators reported to Kabul, there was intervention, and the agreement was withdrawn,” he told the channel.
India's response to Pakistan's accusations
Earlier, responding to Pakistan’s accusations that India was behind Afghanistan’s recent assault, the Ministry of External Affairs said Islamabad’s record of harbouring terrorism is well known.
“Three things are clear. One, Pakistan hosts terrorist organisations and sponsors terrorist activities. Two, it is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its own internal failures. Three, Pakistan is infuriated with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territories,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the weekly press briefing.
What happened?
Asif’s remarks followed the collapse of the latest round of peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Turkey.
According to Afghan and Pakistani sources cited by Reuters, both sides had earlier agreed to a ceasefire on October 19 in Doha but failed to make progress in Istanbul. Each country blamed the other for the stalemate.
Also Read | Afghanistan-Pakistan peace talks end with ‘no workable solution’
Pak-Afghan talks end with no resolution
The discussions, mediated by Turkey and Qatar, concluded Monday without any breakthrough.
Mediators described continued dialogue as encouraging, though the main obstacle reportedly remained Islamabad’s demand for verifiable action against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it claims operates from Afghan territory.
Reacting to Afghan warnings of retaliation, Asif issued a stark message: “If Afghanistan even looks at Islamabad, we will gouge their eyes out. There should be no doubt that Kabul is responsible for the terrorism in Pakistan.”
Also Read | Pakistan's secret pact; Taliban's warning: Pak-Afghanistan peace talks not faring too well
Earlier, Asif had warned that the breakdown of talks could escalate into a full-blown war between the two neighbors.
Officials confirmed that despite three days of discussions in Turkey from Saturday through Monday, no agreement was reached. Dawn reported that while “most points had been mutually agreed,” the mechanism for verifying counter-terrorism actions from Afghan soil remained unresolved, according to PTI.
