Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has once again accused the Afghan Taliban of cooperating with forces hostile to Islamabad, claiming that Taliban-controlled Afghanistan has effectively become a “proxy force” for India against Pakistan.
Speaking to Geo News on Monday, Asif said that during recent meetings with Mullah Yaqoob, the Taliban’s defense minister, he emphasized that “those who were enemies of Afghanistan in the past were also enemies of Pakistan.”
However, he claimed that the Taliban’s current approach has changed and that the group is now acting in ways that benefit India’s interests against Pakistan.
Khawaja Asif also warned that if the Taliban continue supporting militants and “cross-border terrorism,” Pakistan would respond to them in the same way it has responded to India.
In recent months, Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering and supporting Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), whose attacks inside Pakistan have increased significantly.
Pakistani officials claim that TTP militants operate from Afghan territory.
The Taliban, however, have rejected those accusations and insist they do not allow Afghan soil to be used against any country.
Taliban officials have also described Pakistan’s security challenges as an “internal matter.”
The latest remarks from Pakistan’s defense minister highlight how relations between Islamabad and the Taliban have entered a tense and distrustful phase, despite earlier expectations that the Taliban’s return to power would strengthen ties between the two sides.
Analysts say rising cross-border attacks, TTP activity, and broader regional rivalries have complicated relations between Pakistan and the Taliban.
Observers also believe Pakistan’s accusations regarding Indian influence reflect deep concerns in Islamabad about shifting power dynamics and declining Pakistani influence inside Afghanistan.
Experts warn that continued escalation in rhetoric and security tensions could further destabilize the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.
