ISLAMABAD: The candid and thought-provoking speech by Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif in the National Assembly has reignited long-standing questions about Pakistan’s role in regional conflicts following the 9/11 attacks.
Khawaja Asif said that, even after more than two decades, the true perpetrators of the September 11 attacks have not been conclusively identified. He stressed that no Afghan, Pashtun, or Hazara community was involved in the incident, yet Pakistan went on to fight what he described as a “paid war” in its aftermath.
The country was later “used and discarded,” a remark that prompted quiet reflection across the assembly. In this sense, while aligning himself broadly with points raised by the opposition leader and former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Asif recalled a time when movement between Pakistan and Afghanistan was largely unrestricted.
He noted that there was once no formal visa regime, adding that he himself had travelled to Afghanistan without a visa in the past an observation that subtly highlighted how drastically regional dynamics have changed.
The defence minister stated that Pakistan became a party to two major wars fought on Afghan soil. He argued that the Soviet presence in Afghanistan came at the invitation of the Afghan government of the time and questioned the narrative that framed the conflict solely as a religious struggle.
Asif said these historical complexities were later oversimplified, with long-term implications for Pakistan’s internal stability and worldview. Khawaja Asif said Pakistan has yet to fully restore its original national curriculum, claiming that much of the country’s history was altered during years of external influence.
He remarked that although the United States eventually disengaged, Pakistan failed to draw timely lessons from the experience.
Asif also pointed to a critical decision taken by a former ruler to declare Pakistan a frontline state in pursuit of American approval after 9/11, insisting that Afghanistan itself was not responsible for the attacks.
