Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday issued a stern warning to Afghanistan, declaring that Islamabad could “no longer maintain relations” with Kabul as before and threatening to extract a “heavy price” from those behind terror attacks on Pakistani soil.
His remarks came just as a 48-hour ceasefire between the two nations expired at 6 p.m. local time, though reports suggested the truce had been extended amid diplomatic efforts in Doha, Qatar.
“Pakistan can no longer afford to maintain relations with Kabul as it did in the past,” Asif wrote on social media. “All Afghans residing on Pakistani soil must return to their homeland; they now have their own government in Kabul. Our land and resources belong to 250 million Pakistanis.”
The defence minister accused Afghanistan of harbouring militants from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and claimed that Kabul was now “sitting in India’s lap” – alleging, without evidence, that the Taliban regime was conspiring with New Delhi against Pakistan.
“Wherever the source of terrorism lies, it will have to pay a heavy price,” Asif warned, adding that Pakistan would no longer rely on “protest notes or peace appeals.”
Rising border tensions and broken ceasefire
The warning follows weeks of escalating hostilities along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where Islamabad has accused the Taliban government of allowing cross-border militant attacks.
According to Asif, over 10,000 terrorist incidents have occurred in Pakistan since 2021, claiming 3,844 lives, including civilians and security personnel.
Tensions further flared after a deadly TTP attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district killed 11 Pakistani soldiers, including senior officers.
Pakistan responded with airstrikes on Afghan territory, intensifying the conflict.
Afghanistan withdraws from cricket series after deadly bombing
The strained relations took a tragic turn when three Afghan cricketers – Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon – were reportedly killed in what the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) described as a “cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime.”
The ACB announced Afghanistan’s withdrawal from the tri-nation T20I series involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which was scheduled to be held in Rawalpindi and Lahore from November 17–29.In a statement, the ACB said it was “deeply saddened by the tragic martyrdom” of the players from Paktika Province, adding that seven others were injured in the attack.
