Pak’s Khawaja Asif calls Kabul ‘puppet of Delhi’, warns of ‘50 times stronger’ response if provoked

Pakistan defence minister warns of 'open war' with Afghanistan if peace talks fail

The Defence Minister said on Tuesday that a written agreement with Afghanistan was close to being signed, but that Afghan negotiators repeatedly backpedalled after contacting Kabul during the talks, Dawn reported.

The comments came as a second round of negotiations, convened after a Doha-brokered truce, began in Istanbul.

Speaking on Geo News’ programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath, Asif said negotiators withdrew from deals “four or five times” after reporting back to Kabul. “Whenever we got close to an agreement — either in the last four days or last week — when negotiators reported to Kabul, then there was intervention and the agreement was withdrawn,” he said, accusing those in Kabul of sabotaging the process.

Asif went further, accusing external actors of pulling the strings in Kabul and alleging India was using the Afghan capital to wage a proxy campaign against Pakistan. “I would compliment their delegation, but the people in Kabul pulling the strings and staging the puppet show are being controlled by Delhi,” he told Geo News. He said the Kabul government lacked authority and had been “penetrated” by India, which he claimed was trying to engage Islamabad in a low-intensity war.

The defence minister issued a stark warning over possible reprisals if Pakistan were targeted. “If Afghanistan even looks at Islamabad, we will gouge their eyes out,” Asif said, adding that Pakistan would deliver a response “50 times stronger” if provoked.

He also blamed Kabul for providing refuge to militants who carried out attacks inside Pakistan, saying there should be no doubt that Kabul is responsible for terrorism in Pakistan.

The diplomacy traces back to a temporary ceasefire reached in Doha, which extended an initial 48-hour truce and paved the way for the Istanbul follow-up talks aimed at creating mechanisms for a lasting cessation of violence.

The talks come after days of deadly clashes and cross-border strikes, which Islamabad says targeted camps of the Gul Bahadur group in Afghanistan.

Asif warned that failure of the peace process could trigger a wider conflict. Reuters quoted Asif as saying that a collapse in negotiations could lead to an “open war.” Islamabad has repeatedly demanded verifiable action against militant groups operating from Afghan soil.

Asif also expressed scepticism about dealing with the Afghan Taliban as a unified interlocutor, saying the movement does not command control across all of Afghanistan and assurances from some factions cannot be relied upon.

He said Pakistan’s negotiations had been conducted with transparency and that provincial interests, especially those of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were protected during talks.

On other foreign policy issues, Asif said Pakistan would consider any national decision, including potential contributions to protect Palestinians, only after government debate and with Parliament consulted. He also called for accountability for past policies that he said had contributed to current instability.