Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said Pakistan has “no good hope” from the Afghan Taliban regime as tensions persist between the neighboring nations over cross-border terrorism.
Earlier in the day, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed Pakistan had conducted airstrikes in Khost, Kunar and Paktika provinces, resulting in the deaths of 10 civilians. In a subsequent interaction with journalists, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry rejected these allegations outright, asserting that Islamabad would not shy from claiming responsibility if it undertook such actions.
Appearing on Geo News on Tuesday night, the defense minister said both the alleged strikes and civilian casualties were “non-existent” at this time. “We do react and retaliate, but [targeting] civilians is not at all our manner. We have a disciplined force that has traditions and a code of conduct; we are not a ragtag group like the Taliban, who neither have a code of conduct nor religion nor traditions,” he said.
He said that “hope” for peace should persist unless all limits are crossed. “But today, we are completely writing them off and we have no good hope from them,” he added.
To a question on the Taliban claiming they would retaliate according to shariah, Asif questioned what Islamic law the Afghan Taliban followed that permitted them to live in their neighbor’s home for decades and then spilling blood. “Is this some self-invented shariah of their own? This is not the shariah of the holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him),” he added. He said it was pointless to take anything the Taliban say seriously. “There will be no greater idiocy than trusting them,” he said.
The minister confirmed that “friendly” countries such as Turkiye, Iran and Qatar have been urging regional peace. He also urged the Taliban to pursue alternate trade agreements as Pakistan no longer wished to be caught in the middle. He recalled he was among those who had welcomed the Taliban’s return to power but said it had not yielded any benefits. He warned that the path the Taliban were on would ultimately lead to their own destruction.
Ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained over what Islamabad describes as Kabul’s facilitation of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in staging attacks on Pakistan’s soil from across the border. Islamabad has repeatedly demanded the Taliban take action to stop cross-border terrorism to no avail. Rather, the Afghan Taliban claim the issue is Pakistan’s internal matter, and have “advised” Islamabad to pursue dialogue with the terrorist group.
Following cross-border clashes last month, the two sides achieved a mediated ceasefire—though trade ties remain suspended, closing off a major source of supplies for landlocked Afghanistan.