‘Enough is enough’: Pakistan warns Taliban regime over cross-border terror

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned the Taliban regime in Afghanistan that Islamabad will no longer tolerate cross-border terrorism, warning that failure to curb terrorist activities against Pakistan from Afghanistan’s soil can lead to collateral damage. His remarks, made on Thursday (October 9), come at a time when Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is visiting India.

Addressing Pakistan’s National Assembly, Asif warned Kabul and “facilitators’ of terrorists inside Afghanistan of “severe consequences”, reported Pakistani media outlet The Dawn.

Announces diplomatic mission to Afghanistan

Asif called for a “unified response” against those who are sheltering terrorists, whether inside Pakistan or in Afghanistan. The Defence Minister further stated that if the Pakistani security forces come under attack from any place where militants are being sheltered, then the possibility of “collateral damage” in response to that attack cannot be ruled out.” “Enough is enough,” warned Asif.

The Defence Minister announced that Pakistan will soon send a diplomatic mission to Afghanistan to convince the Taliban government to dismantle safe havens used by the terror outfits to indulge in terrorist activities in Pakistan.

Asif further alleged that when he and then ISI chief visited Afghanistan three years ago, the Afghan government demanded Rs10 billion for relocating Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border without giving any assurance that the financial aid would put an end to terror attacks in Pakistan.

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‘Set aside political differences’

The Defence Minister further stated political differences should be set aside and national security should be made the top priority, and urged all upon all federal and provincial governments, including those of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab, and Islamabad, to unite in solidarity to the Pakistani Army.

“Our political matters—whether related to Karachi, Sialkot, or Peshawar—can wait for another day. Today, our focus should be on how to eliminate this menace of terrorism once and for all,” stated Asif, as quoted by The Dawn.

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Pakistan’s earlier admission on terror

Pakistan has long faced allegations of supporting and financing terrorist groups operating within its borders. Organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were later accused of carrying out attacks in India.

Following Operation Sindoor in May, speaking to Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim, Asif admitted, “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades... and the West, including Britain... That was a mistake, and we suffered for that. If we had not joined the war against the Soviet Union and later the war after 9/11, Pakistan’s track record would have been unimpeachable.”

Later, former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also conceded that Pakistan had historical links to extremist elements. In another interview with Hakim, he said, “As far as what the defence minister said, I don’t think it is a secret that Pakistan has a past... As a result, we have suffered; Pakistan has suffered. We have gone through wave after wave of extremism. But as a result of what we suffered, we also learnt our lessons. We have gone through internal reforms to address this problem.”

Bhutto added that Pakistan’s association with such activities “belongs to history” and is “not something we are partaking in today,” describing it as an “unfortunate part” of the country’s past.