Daijiworld Media Network - Islamabad
Islamabad, Oct 18: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday escalated tensions with Afghanistan by linking India to Islamabad’s ongoing conflict with Kabul. Asif declared an end to Pakistan-Afghanistan ties and instructed all Afghans residing in Pakistan to return to their “homeland,” citing security concerns and territorial priorities.
His remarks came as a 48-hour ceasefire along the border expired at 6 pm local time. Reports indicated that the truce was extended as representatives from both sides were set to meet in Doha, Qatar, seeking a resolution to the rising tensions.
“There will no longer be protest notes or appeals for peace; no delegations will go to Kabul. Wherever the source of terrorism lies, it will have to pay a heavy price,” Asif said in a post on X, accusing Kabul of becoming a “proxy of India” and conspiring against Pakistan along with New Delhi and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
He further stated that Kabul’s rulers, “once under our protection,” were now aligned with India and Pakistan “can no longer afford to have relations with Kabul like in the past.” Asif emphasized that Pakistan’s land and resources belong to its 250 million citizens, and Afghans must live as neighbours under their own government in Kabul.
The statements came following Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s six-day visit to India, which was officially focused on trade and bilateral relations.
The heightened tensions follow recent cross-border clashes and air strikes. Kabul reported that Pakistan launched air strikes inside Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least eight people, including three cricket players present for a local tournament. The strikes marked a violation of the ceasefire, which had temporarily paused a week of deadly border clashes that claimed numerous lives on both sides.
A senior Pakistani security official told AFP that forces carried out “precision aerial strikes” targeting the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, a faction linked to the TTP, which had allegedly been involved in a suicide bombing and attack on a military camp in North Waziristan, killing seven paramilitary troops.
The developments signal a sharp deterioration in Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, raising concerns about renewed instability along the border.