Pakistan’s Defense Minister: “We Created the Taliban, but They’ve Become Untrustworthy”

Kokcha News Agency – Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has made sharp remarks about the Taliban, stating that the group was “created by Pakistan” during its alliance with the United States but has now become “untrustworthy.”

Speaking to Pakistan’s Geo News on Monday, Asif emphasized that Islamabad does not want to go to war with the Taliban but will not respond softly to hostility. He stated, “Whenever there has been an attack from Afghanistan, we have pursued the attackers to their homes. We know who lives in Afghanistan and where, but we do not want a war between the two countries.”

Asif also mentioned that the current tensions between Kabul and Islamabad remain a focal point and can only be resolved through mediation by countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He added, “We have decided to secure our country; if someone engages in hostility, our response will not be love and affection.”

The Dawn newspaper in Pakistan published further details of Asif’s interview with Geo News. The minister noted that the situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border remains tense, and hostilities could resume “at any moment.”

When asked if Islamabad would negotiate with Kabul, Asif replied that if the Afghan Taliban want to negotiate while simultaneously threatening Pakistan, “they should act on their threats, and then we will negotiate.”

He added, “The world knows that a collection of international terrorist groups exists in Afghanistan, where ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban are active. All of them are under the umbrella of Kabul.”

When questioned about the presence of Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), in Afghanistan, Asif responded, “We targeted them in their own territory. When I went there about two and a half or three years ago, they said they would relocate these individuals. He wasn’t on the moon; he was in Afghanistan.”

Asif’s comments come as relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated to their worst point in four years due to recent Taliban attacks on Pakistani border areas.