ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has declared that proxy wars in Pakistan, orchestrated by India through Afghanistan, have intensified, while issuing a stark warning about a renewed threat of conventional war with its eastern neighbor.
In a special interview on SAMAA News, the minister stated that India seeks to influence Pakistan via Afghanistan “to erase its shame,” a reference to the 2019 Balakot incident. He confirmed that the threat of war with India, which escalated last May, still persists and that the US has acknowledged Pakistan’s victory in that standoff.
In a remarkable critique of past policy, Asif admitted that Pakistan’s approach towards the Afghan Taliban had been fundamentally flawed. He took aim at the previous leadership, alleging a lack of clarity and accusing them of harboring misguided assumptions. “Those who used to drink tea in Kabul thought that the Taliban would do whatever we want,” he stated, strongly implying that such individuals were “guilty” of a strategic miscalculation.
The Defense Minister also called for a major shift in national priorities, advocating for group interests to be set aside in favor of the national interest. He emphasized the need to bolster the country’s defense capabilities and proposed a significant fiscal reform. He suggested that the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award should be revised to make provinces contribute financially towards national defense and debt repayment, arguing that the nation’s forces have earned this support by outperforming a “big enemy” and boosting national confidence.
In a separate development Sadiq Khan Achakzai, the central chairman of the Mazloum Awami Tehreek Pakistan, has declared that the people of Balochistan are prepared for a significant political shift, asserting that traditional parties have delivered nothing but disappointment.
He made these statements during a grand ceremony where twelve independent councilors, along with leaders and workers from various political parties, formally joined his movement.
