‘So what if we handed a terrorist to the US?’ shrugs Khawaja Asif

WEB DESK: Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif has stated that the United States left high-tech weapons in Afghanistan, following the Kabul fall in 2021, and that the war against terrorism was not initiated by Pakistan. The Defence Minister, referring to the ISIS operative captured in Pakistan shrugged ‘so what if we handed a terrorist to the US?’, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked US President Donald Trump for acknowledging Pakistan in his speech to the Congress on Wednesday.

Asif spoke to the media after Trump thanked Pakistan for assisting in the capture of ISIS operative Sharifullah, who was responsible for the Abbey Gate bombing during the 2021 US evacuation from Afghanistan. The coordinated suicide attack killed 13 US service members and 170 Afghan civilians at Kabul Airport.

Asif added that the US weaponry is now responsible for the rise in terrorism within Pakistan, and it’s a good sign that the US is talking about retrieving its weapons from Afghanistan.

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“The US waged wars in Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan under the pretext of fighting terrorism, while Pakistan remains the biggest victim of the same, rather Pakistan is fighting terrorism on the front lines,” he said.

Turning to his usual tirade, Asif said that the political opponents never talk about reconciliation, rather they have carried out three to four attacks in the past and are now threatening with another after Eid: “Now, instead of reconciliation, resistance politics will take place.“

Khawaja Asif also blamed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, and said that they should also should also bear the burden of the fight against terrorism. Only a day ago, 13 civilians and five soldiers lost their lives after Bannu Cantonment attack.

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“The situation in Parachinar is well known to everyone — it is not under our administration,” Asif said about the deteriorating situation in Kurram, adding that Imran Khan played the ‘letter’ game in the country and then ensured that it received international recognition: “After bringing Pervez Khattak to the federal level, a lot of corruption took place in KP.”