Although veteran politician from Sialkot, Punjab, defence minister Khawaja Asif is widely considered as an unpredictable or uncontrolled person who is liable to court controversies and cause unintentional damage, he is spot on insofar as his response to the Islamabad suicide blast in which at least 12 people were killed and scores of others injured is concerned.
According to him, it is futile to hope for any positive outcome of talks with Kabul after the incident. “We are in a state of war. Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan Army is fighting this war in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and the remote areas of Balochistan should take today’s suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts as a wake-up call: this is a war for all of Pakistan, in which the Pakistan Army is giving daily sacrifices and making the people feel secure,” said the defence minister in a post on X.
No doubt, our valiant soldiers are laying down their lives for the country and the nation on a daily basis. They are rendering immense sacrifices for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. In my view, the country owes its elevated stature in the comity of nations following a four-day conflict with India in May to its armed forces.
It is increasingly clear that the rulers in Kabul have reduced themselves to the puppets of New Delhi for their short-term financial interests or gains. And, they know too well that India, unlike Pakistan, has deep pockets to help them perpetuate their illegitimate rule over Afghanistan. After all, they are not the true representatives of the Afghan people. The Islamabad suicide blast conclusively proves that our conflict with India is not as we have learnt it. It is a brutal work, with no quarter given.
Inayat Warraich (Rawalpindi)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025