ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday warned that Pakistan could carry out strikes inside Afghanistan following recent terrorist attacks in Islamabad and South Waziristan, slamming the Afghan Taliban regime for harbouring militants behind the violence.
Over the past two days, Pakistan has witnessed two major terror incidents — one targeting Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan and another striking Islamabad.
Speaking on Geo News' programme 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath', the defence minister said cross-border action inside Afghanistan could not be "ruled out" following the two attacks.
Asif rejected the Afghan Taliban regime's condemnation of the attacks, saying that such expressions of regret could not "be taken as proof of sincerity". "Those sheltered by the Afghan Taliban are repeatedly attacking us," he said.
The defence minister warned India and Afghanistan against any misadventure, saying Pakistan would "pay back in the same coin".
"Pakistan will never initiate any military adventure," he assured. However, he said: "We will not let any act of aggression go unanswered; we will respond forcefully."
It is to be noted here that at least 12 were martyred and over 30 injured in the suicide blast in Islamabad.
Prior to this, Asif warned that Pakistan was fully capable of delivering a befitting response to cross-border terrorism.
"We are in a state of war. Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan Army is fighting this war only in the border areas along Afghanistan or in the remote regions of Balochistan should take the suicide attack in Islamabad as a wake-up call," the defence czar wrote in a post on X.
Calling the fight against terrorism a war for all of Pakistan, Asif said the armed forces were providing the nation with a "sense of security" through their sacrifices.
In the aftermath of the attack, the defence minister expressed doubts over the prospects of successful negotiations with the Afghan Taliban regime.
"The Kabul leadership can stop terrorism in Pakistan, but bringing this war to Islamabad carries a message from Kabul," he wrote.
Speaking to journalists separately in the federal capital, the defence minister said that Islamabad was expecting such an attack as a pressure tactic. "The terrorist attack in Islamabad has sent us a message: all your areas are within our reach," he added.
However, Asif vowed that Pakistan would not tolerate terrorism in either border or urban areas, saying that the country would respond strongly to terrorist attacks.
Today's suicide attack in Islamabad was the first in the federal capital in three years, with the last suicide attack occurring in December 2022.
However, other parts of the country, particularly the bordering provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have seen a sharp increase in terror attacks since the Afghan Taliban grabbed power in 2021.
The cross-border attacks from Afghanistan resulted in intense clashes between the forces from Pakistan and Afghanistan last month.
Pakistan killed over 200 Taliban fighters and India-backed militants in retaliatory actions after they resorted to unprovoked firing along the border.
The two countries agreed to a fragile ceasefire after week-long clashes, but failed to finalise its details during several rounds of negotiations that collapsed last week.
Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to prevent its soil from becoming a shelter and training camps for the militant groups involved in countless terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.