Pakistan Says It Has Evidence of India Waging ‘Low-Intensity War’ from Afghan Soil: Asif”

Islamabad-Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has alleged that India is conducting a “low-intensity war” against Pakistan using Afghan territory.

Speaking on Al Arabiya English’s web TV program Counterpoints, Asif claimed that New Delhi has maintained a long-standing relationship with the Taliban regime.

Responding to a question, the defence minister noted that Afghan forces recently carried out an unprovoked assault on Pakistan, which coincided with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India.

“The Taliban government has historical links with Delhi,” Asif said. “Their minister spent around eight or nine days in India, and during that time, clashes erupted along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. We were compelled to respond after losing several of our soldiers in cross-border attacks.”

The minister said, “There’s no doubt the Taliban have become an Indian proxy. India is waging a low-intensity war against us from Afghan territory to settle scores.”

Responding to a question, Asif said that India was behind the collapse of peace talks between Pakistan and the Taliban regime.

“On three or four occasions, they [Taliban delegation] had agreed to the terms being developed during the talks over the last four days. They accepted our point of view and recognised that most of these TTP terrorists are living on their territory.”

“They acknowledged the issue but were not ready to put anything in writing. We now want them to put it in writing so the international community can see for themselves that they are harbouring terrorists — not only TTP but all kinds of terror groups,” he added.

The minister added: “It’s [Taliban regime] not only a threat to neighbours but to world peace.”

It is pertinent to mention here that the four-day talks in Istanbul with the Afghan Taliban had ended without a breakthrough, despite Pakistan repeatedly presenting evidence-backed counterterrorism demands, confirmed Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar early Wednesday.

In an X post, Tarar said: “The dialogue thus failed to bring about any workable solution.”

Pakistan-Afghanistan Peace Talks Fail Over TTP Issue

A day earlier, the defence minister issued a stern warning to the Afghan Taliban regime.

In a post on X, the defence minister said that Pakistan had engaged in talks at the request of brotherly countries in an effort to give peace a chance, but “venomous statements” by certain Afghan officials clearly reflect the devious and splintered mindset of the Taliban regime.

“Your betrayal and derision have gone on long enough — no more. Any terrorist attack or suicide bombing on Pakistani soil will make you pay dearly for these misadventures. Test our resolve and capabilities if you dare, but do so at your own peril,” the defence minister wrote on X.

Asif added: “Let me make this clear — Pakistan would not need to use even a small portion of its arsenal to utterly destroy the Taliban regime and force them back into hiding. If required, we can repeat the rout they experienced at Tora Bora — a humiliating retreat that would be a spectacle for the region.”