‘Will go deep into Afghanistan to hunt TTP’: Pakistan’s empty threat or prelude to another proxy war?

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif - File Photo

In yet another sign of Pakistan’s diplomatic isolation and strategic confusion, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a direct threat to the Taliban regime in Kabul, vowing a “confrontational approach” and warning of repeated strikes inside Afghan territory. The remarks, carried by Pakistani media, mark a dramatic escalation of rhetoric against what Islamabad once called its “brothers in faith.”

Speaking at a press briefing, Asif said Pakistan “will strike again and again” if attacks originating from Afghan soil continue. “Pakistan will not tolerate infiltration anymore,” he declared, promising to “go deep into Afghanistan to hunt TTP terrorists.”

The minister accused the Taliban government of harbouring fighters of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the militant group responsible for a string of deadly attacks inside Pakistan. He also claimed that “repeated intelligence inputs and confessions by captured attackers prove that Afghan soil is being used for terror attacks against Pakistan.”

In a rather striking claim, Asif added, “Even Qatari and Turkish mediators have admitted that Afghan soil is being used for terrorism.”

From allies to adversaries

The comments come as relations between Pakistan and the Taliban regime continue to deteriorate, a reality that exposes Islamabad’s flawed security policy of nurturing extremist proxies for regional influence. Once the Taliban’s chief benefactor, Pakistan now finds itself on the receiving end of cross-border violence that it helped enable for decades.

Over the past year, Islamabad has faced an alarming surge in attacks blamed on TTP militants operating from across the Durand Line. Despite several rounds of negotiations brokered by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies, the TTP has refused to lay down arms, emboldened by the Taliban’s rule in Kabul.

Asif admitted as much when he said, “Talks were in the right direction, but unfortunately, Kabul derailed negotiations.”

Pakistan’s empty threats

The Defence Minister’s aggressive rhetoric appears to be aimed as much at a domestic audience as at the Taliban. As Pakistan grapples with economic collapse, political instability, and growing internal dissent, the government seems to be using the Afghan issue to project strength.

Asif went as far as to boast that Pakistan could “dismantle the Taliban’s military structure” if provoked further. “Pakistan does not need to employ even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves,” he claimed.

Such threats, however, ignore the ground reality. The Taliban regime, while isolated internationally, remains militarily entrenched and has deep tribal and religious linkages with groups inside Pakistan. Any military confrontation could backfire, potentially uniting militant networks against Islamabad.

A policy in ruins

Asif accused Kabul of adopting a “reckless and self-destructive” approach, saying the Taliban leadership was “blindly pushing Afghanistan into yet another conflict.” Yet, analysts point out that it is Pakistan’s decades-long policy of patronising the Taliban that has now come full circle.

The minister’s admission that Islamabad’s patience has “run out” is telling. “Pakistan will not spare traitors and militants,” he said, accusing the Taliban of “treachery and mockery.”

His words reflect growing frustration within Pakistan’s establishment, which now realises that its strategic investment in the Taliban has produced a hostile, uncontrollable neighbour rather than a pliant ally.

The road ahead

The deterioration in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations marks a dangerous new phase in South Asia’s already volatile security environment. Any cross-border military action by Pakistan would further destabilise the region and invite blowback at home, where TTP militants have already intensified attacks on security forces.

By threatening “deep strikes” into Afghan territory, Pakistan risks opening a front it cannot afford. For years, it exported instability across its borders to gain leverage. Now, it is struggling to contain that very chaos within its own frontiers.

Khawaja Asif’s fiery remarks may sound defiant, but they also expose the deep cracks in Pakistan’s foreign and security policy. Once again, Islamabad appears to be mistaking aggression for strategy.