All Afghans in Pakistan Must Return Home; Kabul Acting as ‘Proxy of New Delhi’, Says Khawaja Asif

Friday, Pakistan defence minister, Khawaja Asif alleged with no basis that the Taliban leadership is "sitting in India’s lap" and threat of paying a heavy price to cross-border terrorism meant that his country could no longer sustain the same previous relations with Afghanistan.

His remarks followed the death of at least six individuals including two children in airstrikes by the Pakistan in southeastern province of Paktika in Afghanistan. The two strikes were said to have gone against a new ceasefire pact between the two nations. According to media reports, the two sides representatives are supposed to hold a meeting in Doha, Qatar, to curb the situation.

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"Pakistan can no longer afford to maintain relations with Kabul as it did in the past," Asif said in a social media post.

"All Afghans residing on Pakistani soil must return to their homeland; they now have their own government/caliphate in Kabul... Our land and resources belong to 250 million Pakistanis," he added.

"Self-respecting nations do not thrive on foreign land and resources," Asif said.

He said that after five years of trying and sacrifices to be made by Pakistan, Kabul has not been responding positively. "Pakistan issued 836 protest notes to the Afghan side and another 13 demarches," he said.

Asif threatened that henceforth, Pakistan will retaliate with greater force to any form of terrorism. "There will no longer be protest notes or appeals for peace; no delegations will go to Kabul. Wherever the source of terrorism lies, it will have to pay a heavy price," he said.

He also claimed that Afghanistan has turned into a proxy of India and it is collaborating with New Delhi and the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) against Islamabad.

"The rulers of Kabul, who are now sitting in India’s lap and conspiring against Pakistan, were once under our protection, hiding on our land," Asif said, without providing any evidence for his claim.

In the previous week, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in his speech at the weekly press briefing indicated that Pakistan is used to accusing its neighbours of its domestic issues. "On the developments that are happening on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, we are closely monitoring the situation three things are clear. One, Pakistan hosts terrorist organisations and sponsors terrorist activities. Two, it is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbors for its own internal failures. And three, Pakistan is infuriated with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territories. India remains fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan," he had said.

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Defense minister of Pakistan once again said that Pakistan is ready to protect itself against any form of aggression by Afghanistan.

Asif earlier this week had stated that Pakistan was prepared to retaliate in case the Afghan Taliban were desiring war. Speaking to Samaa TV, he said, "Pakistan remains ready for any aggression; no one should harbour doubt."

Islamabad has several times demanded that the Taliban government should make sure that the cross-border attacks are prohibited using the Afghan territory. Denying these allegations Kabul has asserted that the Afghanistan soil is not being turned against any neighbour.

The relationship between the two countries has worsened after the TTP continued to attack the country allegedly on Afghan soil. The latest incident involved the killing of 11 Pakistani soldiers in Orakzai district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including a Lieutenant Colonel and a Major.

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