Key Points
- Defence Minister Khawaja Asif says Pakistan hosted Afghans for five decades.
- Pakistan shared its limited resources with Afghan refugees.
- Asif says diplomatic contacts with Kabul have failed.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said Pakistan provided refuge to Afghans for five decades and shared its limited resources with them, but despite Islamabad’s goodwill and efforts to maintain peaceful relations, terrorism and anti-Pakistan sentiment have persisted.
In a statement posted on X on Sunday, Asif said Pakistan had expressed goodwill following the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan, hoping that the development would help make the country’s western border secure and enable the two neighbours to coexist peacefully.
ھم پانچ دھائیاں افغانوں کو پناہ دی اپنے محدود وسائل میں حصہ دار بنایا۔ نیٹو فوج کے چلے جانے کے بعد نیک خواھشات کا اظہار کیاامید رکھی یہ ھماری سرحد محفوظ ھو گی ۔ ھمسائے امن سے رہیں گے ۔ مگر ھماری مسجدوں سکولوں بازاروں میں دھشت گردی کرنے والے ھماری فوج پہ حملہ کرنے والے 70/80فیصد… https://t.co/yZnbKqau0T
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) September 20, 2026
“However, 70 to 80 per cent of those carrying out terrorism in our mosques, schools and markets and attacking our armed forces are Afghans,” he said.
The defence minister also said that Afghan elements were demonstrating solidarity with Pakistan’s “eternal enemy”, referring to India.
Asif said direct and indirect contacts between Pakistan’s military and civilian leadership and Afghan authorities had continued, but there had been no reduction in “anti-Pakistan hostility”.
Students draw criticism
Commenting on Pakistani students expressing solidarity with Afghan students, Asif said such demonstrations were not merely an expression of love but reflected their political leanings.
He said that when five decades of refuge, resources and support provided to Afghans had failed to change their attitudes, their supporters should try to promote goodwill by seeking education at an Afghan educational institution.
The defence minister further said Pakistani students expressing solidarity with Afghan students were insulting the blood of Pakistani martyrs who had been killed by terrorists coming from Afghanistan.
“Do not go so far in your love for a political party that Pakistani blood begins to appear cheap to you,” he said.
Refugee burden
Asif’s reference to five decades of hospitality reflects Pakistan’s long history of hosting Afghans displaced by successive conflicts.
UNHCR describes Pakistan as one of the world’s largest refugee-hosting countries and says it has provided refuge to millions of Afghans for more than four decades.
The refugee issue, however, has increasingly become intertwined with Pakistan’s security concerns. Islamabad has argued that the presence of undocumented foreigners creates challenges for border management.
