Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has emphasized that Pakistan does not want to engage in an armed conflict with Afghanistan, following recent airstrikes on alleged terrorist hideouts across the border. Speaking exclusively to VOA, Asif stated that force is the last resort and that Pakistan seeks to avoid armed conflict with its neighbor.
The airstrikes, conducted on “intelligence-based anti-terrorist” operations, targeted banned terrorist outfit Tehrik-e-Taliban and its affiliates inside Afghanistan. These operations came in response to an attack on a regional military base in Pakistan’s border district of North Waziristan, where seven troops, including two officers, were killed by insurgents.
Asif warned that Pakistan could block the corridor it provides to landlocked Afghanistan for trade with India if Afghanistan fails to curb anti-Pakistan terrorists operating on its soil. He stressed that Pakistan has the right to stop facilitating Kabul if it is treated like an enemy.
Pakistan alleges that fighters linked to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and groups supporting it have a safe haven in Afghanistan. Despite criticism from the West, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs defended the airstrikes, stating that reactions failed to acknowledge the “free and enthusiastic exercise of the right to vote by tens of millions of Pakistanis.”
As tensions simmer along the border, experts warn of potential repercussions. The Afghan Taliban, while lacking the military might to attack Pakistan directly, could resort to unconventional means, including actively supporting anti-Pakistan militants.
The U.S. State Department has urged both Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban to address their differences. Meanwhile, China, Pakistan’s biggest ally, has remained silent on the cross-border fighting.
Asif dismissed the lack of public support from Beijing, stating, “It’s not necessary that the world must applaud us. What is in our interest is enough for us. We are protecting our interest, irrespective of whether someone applauds us or not.”
The situation remains tense along the 2,600-kilometer-long border (1,616 miles) as both countries navigate the complex dynamics of their relationship amidst ongoing security challenges.
