Khawaja Asif: Pakistan on the Verge of Large-Scale Military Strike into Afghanistan.
Khawaja Asif, Pakistan’s Defense Minister, warned on Tuesday that Islamabad might launch a large-scale military operation against armed groups based in Afghanistan before the start of Ramadan.
Asif emphasized that any delay in confronting these threats would bring “heavy costs” to Pakistan and added that, despite ongoing talks with the Taliban, the threats originating from Afghan soil have not diminished. He stated that continued Taliban inaction would leave the consequences solely to the group itself.
Relations between Kabul and Islamabad have sharply deteriorated in recent months, with multiple cross-border clashes causing dozens of casualties among both forces and civilians.
Mediation efforts by regional countries including Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran have so far failed to curb the tensions, pushing Taliban–Pakistan disputes into a dangerous and unprecedented stage.
In a recent show of pressure, Pakistan has repeatedly targeted Taliban positions inside Afghanistan, with one incident involving Pakistani fighter jets flying over Kabul interpreted as a direct warning to the Taliban.
Analysts say these actions indicate that Islamabad has lost its strategic patience and is ready for serious military engagement—a situation that could severely threaten regional security.
