The Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s warning comes amid heightened tensions following two major terrorist attacks in Pakistan over the past 48 hours, one at Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan and another in the heart of Islamabad.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday warned that Pakistan could carry out strikes inside Afghanistan following recent terrorist attacks in Islamabad and South Waziristan. He accused the Afghan Taliban regime of harbouring militants responsible for the violence. Speaking in an interview with Geo News, Asif warned India and Afghanistan against any misadventure, saying Pakistan would “pay back in the same coin.”
The defence minister added that cross-border action inside Afghanistan could not be “ruled out” after the attacks.
Asif also rejected the Afghan Taliban regime’s condemnation of the attacks, saying such statements could not be “taken as proof of sincerity.” “Those sheltered by the Afghan Taliban are repeatedly attacking us,” he said.
In the interview, Asif clarified that Pakistan would not start any military action but would respond to any aggression.
“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.”
In the past two days, Pakistan faced two major terror incidents, one targeting Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan and another striking Islamabad.
BLAST OUTSIDE ISLAMABAD COURT
At least 12 people were killed and more than 25 injured, most of them lawyers, when a powerful explosion tore through a parked car near the Islamabad judicial complex on Tuesday, Pakistani media reported. Officials said the blast was a suicide attack.
The explosion occurred around 12.30 pm, during peak business hours, near the entrance of the Islamabad district court, causing panic among lawyers on the premises. The blast was reportedly so powerful that it could be heard up to six kilometres away.
‘PAK AT WAR, CITIES NOW TARGETS’
Prior to this, Asif, in a post on X, had warned that Pakistan was fully capable of responding 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.
Describing the fight against terrorism as a nationwide effort, the defence minister said the armed forces were providing the country with a “sense of security” through their sacrifices.
In the aftermath of the attack, Asif also expressed doubts over the possibility of successful negotiations with the Afghan Taliban, adding that attacks in Islamabad sent a direct message from Kabul.
“The rulers of Kabul can stop terrorism in Pakistan, but bringing this war all the way to Islamabad is a message from Kabul, to which–praise be to God–Pakistan has the full strength to respond,” he wrote.
PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN TENSIONS
In mid-October, Pakistan conducted airstrikes on Afghan territory, ending a fragile 48-hour ceasefire amid rising border clashes. The strikes targeted suspected hideouts of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in Khost and Paktika provinces, killing at least 10 civilians, including local cricketers and injuring more than a dozen others.
Pakistani officials said the operation was a preemptive measure against TTP militants allegedly using Afghan soil to launch attacks into Pakistan, citing intelligence on planned incursions.
The Afghan Taliban condemned the strikes as a “blatant violation” of sovereignty, accusing Islamabad of undermining regional stability and showing no intent for genuine peace.
This marked Pakistan’s second major aerial incursion in 2025, following similar operations in March, reigniting disputes along the porous Durand Line. The strikes triggered a diplomatic fallout, with Afghanistan expelling Pakistani diplomats and summoning envoys, while Pakistan reinforced its military presence along the border.
