Pakistan defence minister admits terror ties, warns of 'all-out war' with India
During an interview Khawaja Asif confessed that they had been doing this dirty work for the US for about three decades, and for the West, including Britain
In a stunning admission, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has acknowledged to international media that Pakistan actively supported, trained, and funded terrorist organisations for decades.
During an interview with Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim, Asif confessed, “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades… and the West, including Britain.”
He added that Pakistan suffered consequences for these actions, saying that had Pakistan not joined the war against the Soviet Union and later on the war after 9/11, its track record would have been unimpeachable.
Asif's statement lays bare the fact that Pakistan, for many years, has been harbouring these terror groups.
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War warning
In the interview, Asif also warned of an “all-out war” with India, intensifying concerns amid escalating tensions between the warring neighbours.
His statement is viewed in the context of the recent Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians and reignited longstanding hostilities between the two countries.
India's foreign secretary Vikram Misri said that in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, the cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack were brought out.
He noted that the Pahalgam terror attack came after elections were successfully held in the Union Territory (UT) and the UT was registering steady progress towards economic growth and development.
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India hits back
Following the Pahalgam attack, the Indian government has moved swiftly with a series of retaliatory diplomatic measures, signalling a shift in New Delhi’s strategic posture, emphasising zero tolerance for terror and a recalibration of bilateral ties.
Diplomatic measures announced by the Union government after the Pahalgam terror attack
Shutting down the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari
Suspending the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals
Issuing a 40-hour deadline for Pakistani citizens to leave India
Reducing the number of officers in the High Commissions on both sides
Suspending the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960
Modi’s stern warning
Addressing the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that those responsible for the attack — along with those who conspired it — will face punishment beyond imagination.
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Modi further warned that the time had come to eliminate all remaining terrorist strongholds and asserted that the collective will of 140 crore Indians would crush the perpetrators of terror.
(With agency inputs)