Daijiworld Media Network - Islamabad
Islamabad, Mar 3: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday dragged India into the ongoing Middle East conflict, claiming that in the event of a regime change in Iran, the “joint single point agenda” of Tehran, India and Afghanistan would be “enmity towards Pakistan”.
In a series of posts on social media platform X, Asif alleged that a “Zionist” agenda was aimed at extending Israel’s influence up to Pakistan’s borders.
“Despite Iran's readiness for agreement, a war has been imposed upon them, and its agenda, orchestrated by the Zionists, includes bringing Israel's influence right up to Pakistan's border,” Asif said, as quoted by Geo News.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of using the Taliban as a proxy — a charge New Delhi has denied. However, Asif now suggested that in case of regime change in Iran, an alignment between Afghanistan, Iran and India could emerge against Islamabad.
“The joint single point agenda of Afghanistan, Iran, and India will then be enmity towards Pakistan, making our borders insecure, surrounding us with enemies from all sides, and turning Pakistan into a vassal state,” he claimed.
Known for his sharp anti-India rhetoric, Asif urged Pakistan’s 250 million citizens to remain alert.
“It is necessary for all 250 million Pakistanis, regardless of their political or religious affiliations, to understand this conspiracy and the intentions of our eternal enemies,” he added.
Even as he commented on the US-Israel confrontation with Iran, Pakistan is itself witnessing heightened tensions with Afghanistan. The latest flare-up, described as the worst in years, began after Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers claimed they carried out retaliatory strikes on Pakistani installations in response to Islamabad’s targeting of militants inside Afghan territory.
Islamabad has reportedly launched air-to-ground missiles at Taliban military sites over the past week and, for the first time, directly targeted the Taliban government over allegations that it harbours militants responsible for attacks on Pakistani soil.
According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, at least 42 civilians were killed and 104 injured in Afghanistan in clashes between February 26 and March 2.