Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said Pakistan would not hesitate to conduct further strikes on Afghanistan if no action was taken by Kabul against militants on its soil to ensure peace.

The federal government has been consistently raising its voice on international forums against terrorist sanctuaries operating in Afghanistan and using its soil to launch attacks on Pakistan — a development attested to by the United Nations Security Council.

Recently, a suicide bomber struck the Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra during Friday prayers in Islamabad, killing 36 people and injuring around 169 others. The attack was the deadliest in Islamabad in more than a decade and the deadliest nationwide since the Peshawar mosque bombing in January 2023.

Immediately following the blast, raids were conducted in Nowshera and Peshawar, resulting in the arrest of four facilitators. The Daesh-linked mastermind, an Afghan national, was also captured. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated that the network behind the blast was trained in Afghanistan and that authorities had gathered intelligence on the suspects prior to the attack.

In an an interview with FRANCE 24 today on the entire situation, the defence minister said: “Any attack in Pakistan, it has the blessings of Afghan government. We always have that option and we can exercise that option. There is absolutely, we won’t hesitate. If someone in Kabul can underwrite peace, obviously there will be no hostilities, but they continue to patronise, continue to become co-conspirators. They have the control of the whole of Afghanistan. If these outfits are operating from their soil, they have the responsibility. They cannot deny the responsibility.”

In his interview, Asif further stated that all the terrorist factions currently operating in Afghanistan, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Pakistan, TTP Afghanistan, Islamic State and Daesh, along with a dozen or more smaller groups, were present due to the attitude and non-seriousness of the Kabul government in curbing terrorism.

“They have actually provided them safe havens on their soil,” Asif said.

Responding to questions about India’s alleged involvement in supporting terrorists in Afghanistan, Asif said, “After the four-day conflict in May last year, India was badly beaten. Their humiliation on the international stage was clear after being defeated by a state much smaller in geography and even in army strength. Our air force practically decimated their attempts to invade Pakistan. As a result, India is now waging a proxy war against Pakistan.”

Asif added that India, along with Kabul and terrorist outfits operating in Afghanistan, were “on the same page”.

“However, India will not accept this reality. How can you expect them to accept it? They will continue to deny it, but they have very good relations with Kabul. Now, we are facing a proxy war, and we will continue to deal with it.”

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Asif said that Pakistan had no contact with India, direct or indirect. He said that war with India was still “a possibility” in such conditions.

“We approached friendly countries that tried to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he said. “I’ve been part of attempts in Istanbul, Doha and even Kabul. But these attempts did not yield results. They acknowledged that TTP is operating from their territory and indirectly admitted they do not have control over them.”

He added, “We told them, then let us deal with them. Allow us to handle them if you can’t control them.”

Pakistan’s contribution to Gaza Peace Board

When asked about the potential for Pakistan to contribute to the Gaza Peace Board, Asif said he sees no problem with it, but it depended on the “terms of reference” for the peace force.

“We have been participating for many years. Pakistan was the number one contributor to the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Africa, East Timor, Somalia, Congo, and multiple other locations. We have that experience,” Asif said.

He continued, “Gaza and Palestine are causes very close to our hearts, as they are for the people of Pakistan. We have shown solidarity with them for many decades.” Asif stressed that Pakistan had consistently supported Palestine in all global forums. “This is a good opportunity, and we hope it will bring us closer to achieving a two-state solution in the Middle East.”

On the question of normalisation of relations between several Muslim countries and Israel, Asif said that he did see “this option being even considered by Pakistan” unless Palestinians were granted “the right of self-determination in their own homeland” within the framework of a two-state solution.

Read More: Pakistan open to diplomacy, not war with Afghanistan

On the topic of Pakistan’s political system, Asif reflected on the historical role of the military in politics, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s.

“There were times when the establishment intervened and took control. But that is not happening now,” he said. “The current situation, with the threat of terrorism from Afghanistan and India, and an economy that was in shambles three years ago, is different.”

Asif described the current system as a “hybrid arrangement”, where national institutions, including the military, cooperated with the elected government.

“The armed forces are the most important national institution and they are helping the political government,” he said. “There is absolutely no military rule. My boss is the prime minister,” Asif concluded.

Pakistan’s allegations against Afghanistan, India of supporting terrorism

Pakistan has repeatedly pointed to an Afghanistan–India nexus behind terrorism in the country.

In November 2024, Inter-Services Public Relations Director-General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry had issued a warning that the Afghan regime was a threat not just to Pakistan but to the entire region and the world, citing the abandonment of $7.2 billion worth of American military equipment during the US withdrawal.

Lt Gen Chaudhry reiterated that the Afghan regime was harbouring “Non-State Actors” who posed a threat to various countries in the region, noting the Taliban’s failure to establish an inclusive state and government post-2021. He stressed that Pakistan’s issue was with the Afghan Taliban regime, not the Afghan people.

Read More: Afghan regime poses threat to region, world: DG ISPR

After the conflict with India in May 2025, Field Marshal Asim Munir had said that Pakistan would never be coerced, and that all inimical designs to derail the country’s counterterrorism efforts would be “comprehensively defeated”.

Also Read: India’s ‘hydro terrorism’ untenable: COAS

He had said Pakistan’s military remained prepared to respond across the full spectrum of conflict. He particularly criticised India’s growing tendency to resort to unprovoked military aggression, cautioning that strategic stability in South Asia was increasingly fragile and hinged on justice, especially in Kashmir.

After recent terrorist attacks in Balochistan, Naqvi had once again blamed India for a coordinated terror campaign in the province.

“These were not ordinary terrorists. India is behind these attacks. I can tell you for certain that India planned these attacks along with these terrorists,” he said.

He added that authorities would pursue every individual involved, as well as those directing them from behind the scenes.

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Naqvi further claimed that India was the “main country” behind terrorism, saying it not only provides financial support to terrorists but also assists them in planning and strategising.

In 2023, a UN report also revealed that the TTP had established a new base in K-P in mid-2023. The report shed light on close ties not only between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban but also with anti-Pakistani groups and al Qaeda.

Read This: The breeding ground for terror

The report further revealed that some Taliban members had also joined the TTP, perceiving it as a religious obligation to provide support.

Interlocutors reported that TTP members and their families received regular aid packages from the Taliban.

Importantly, the UN report noted a significant increase in Afghan nationals in the TTP ranks. This supported Pakistan’s stance that a growing number of Afghan nationals were involved in suicide attacks in the country.

More recently, a UNSC report said that attacks on Pakistan by the TTP from Afghanistan have increased, endorsing Islamabad’s long-running complaints about militant sanctuaries across the border. The 37th report by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, dated February 4, not only endorsed Islamabad’s stance that Afghanistan had become a sanctuary for militants who used its territory to launch attacks on Pakistan, but also came at a time when the country is facing a renewed spate of violence.