Pakistan’s defence minister has warned that his country may carry out further air strikes inside Afghanistan if Kabul fails to curb militant groups operating from its territory, underscoring rising regional tensions after a deadly attack in Islamabad, according to The Express Tribune.
Speaking in an interview with FRANCE 24 on Wednesday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan would “not hesitate” to act across the border if Afghan authorities did not dismantle armed networks accused of launching attacks inside Pakistan. He alleged that militant factions active in Afghanistan operate with the knowledge and even support of the Taliban led government in Kabul, a claim Afghan officials have repeatedly denied.
The remarks came days after a suicide bombing at the Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra mosque in Islamabad killed 36 worshippers and wounded more than 160, the deadliest assault in the capital in over a decade. Pakistani authorities said the suspected mastermind, described as an Afghan national linked to the so-called Islamic State group, had been arrested along with several facilitators in raids in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said investigators believed the network had trained in Afghanistan.
Asif accused Kabul of providing safe havens to multiple militant organisations, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Islamic State affiliates. “If these outfits are operating from their soil, they have the responsibility,” he said, adding that Pakistan had urged Afghan authorities to act or allow Islamabad to do so.
The defence minister also linked the security crisis to regional rivalries, alleging that India was supporting anti Pakistan militants from Afghan territory, an accusation New Delhi has long rejected. He warned that relations with India remained hostile and that open conflict “remains a possibility” under current conditions.
Pakistan has sought mediation through partners in Istanbul, Doha and Kabul, Asif said, but talks have stalled. Afghan officials, he claimed, acknowledged the presence of Pakistani Taliban fighters while insisting they lacked full control over them.
The escalating rhetoric highlights a fragile security landscape along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where cross-border militancy and mistrust continue to strain already tense relations.
