Pakistan may act in Afghanistan over rising terrorist attacks: Khawaja Asif

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan may carry out operations inside Afghanistan in response to the recent surge in terrorist attacks.

Speaking on a private news channel, Asif expressed serious concerns over what he described as interference from Afghanistan. He made it clear that Pakistan would not ignore the growing wave of terrorism and warned that if the issue of terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan worsened, Islamabad would be compelled to launch a strong counteraction.

Discussing the Taliban’s alleged silence over the presence of terrorist hideouts, Asif said the group’s verbal condemnation or expressions of regret were not enough and could not be considered proof of sincerity. He added that terrorists operating from Afghan soil continue to launch attacks against Pakistan.

The minister noted that most of the terrorists involved in recent incidents were of Afghan origin, asserting that there are no terrorist hideouts within Pakistan.

Referring to a recent military operation at Wana Cadet College, Asif said the army, by the grace of God, managed to rescue the cadets safely during the operation.

He also accused India of using Afghanistan as a route to carry out aggression against Pakistan, saying there should be no misunderstanding that India’s hostility towards Pakistan has become fully evident.

The defence minister further stated that Pakistan remains on high alert regarding India and is prepared to respond to any aggressive move after assessing its intentions.