Defence Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Asif on Wednesday issued a strong warning to the Afghan Taliban, warning them that if they wish to test the resolve of Islamabad, they should do it at their own peril and doom.
The remarks came after an official announcement by Pakistan on Wednesday morning by Information Minister Atta Tarar about the failure of the latest rounds of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which were ongoing in the Turkish capital, aimed at addressing cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghan soil.
“We have borne your treachery and mockery for too long, but no more. Any terrorist attack or any suicide bombing inside Pakistan shall give you the bitter taste of such misadventures. Be assured and test our resolve and capabilities, if you wish so, at your own peril and doom,” Asif posted on social media platform X.
Asif has said that Pakistan engaged in negotiations with the Afghan Taliban to give peace a chance at the request of the brotherly countries. Turkey and Qatar had arranged these negotiations between Hawaan-e-Akbar and Islamabad in Turkey. In his strong statement, he added that the venomous statements by certain Afghan officials clearly reflect the devious and splintered mindset of the Taliban regime.
While on the request of brotherly countries who were persistently being beseeched by Taliban Regime, Pakistan indulged in talks to give peace a chance, venomous statements by certain Afghan officials clearly reflect the devious and splintered mindset of Taliban regime.
Let me…— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) October 29, 2025
“Let me assure them that Pakistan does not require employing even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding. If they wish so, the repeat of the scenes of their rout at Tora Bora, with their tails between their legs, would surely be a spectacle to watch for the people of the region.”
It is sad to see how the Taliban regime is blindly pushing Afghanistan into yet another conflict, just to retain its usurped rule and maintain the war economy that sustains them. Despite fully knowing their inherent limitations and the hollowness of their war cries, they are beating the war drums to maintain their crumbling facade. If the Afghan Taliban regime is madly hellbent upon ruining Afghanistan and its innocent people once again, then so be it. As far as the narrative of *graveyard of empires*, Pakistan certainly doesn’t claim it to be an empire, but Afghanistan is definitely a graveyard, surely for its own people.
“Never a graveyard of empires, but certainly a playground of empires, you have been throughout history. The war mongers amongst the Taliban regime, who have vested interests in the continuation of instability in the region, should know that they have probably misread our resolve and courage.”
“If the Taliban regime wants to fight us, the world will INSHAALLAH see that their threats are only a performative circus! We have borne your treachery and mockery for too long, but no more. Any terrorist attack or any suicide bombing inside Pakistan shall give you the bitter taste of such misadventures. Be assured and test our resolve and capabilities, if you wish so, at your own peril and doom,” said Defence Minister Khwaja Asif.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have been holding negotiations in Istanbul aimed at securing peace after the South Asian neighbours’ deadliest border clashes in years.
The violence, which killed more than 70 people and wounded hundreds, erupted following explosions in Kabul on October 9 that the Taliban authorities blamed on Pakistan.
“Regrettably, the Afghan side gave no assurances, kept deviating from the core issue and resorted to a blame game, deflection and ruses,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on X after four days of negotiations brokered by Qatar and Turkey.
“The dialogue thus failed to bring about any workable solution.”
Tarar said Pakistan engaged with Afghanistan in the spirit of peace, but accused Kabul of “unabated support to anti-Pakistan terrorists”.
“We will continue to take all possible measures necessary to protect our people from the menace of terrorism,” he added, vowing to “decimate the terrorists, their sanctuaries, their abetters and supporters”.
There was no immediate comment from Afghanistan.
Relations between the one-time allies, who share a 2,600-kilometre (1,600-mile) frontier, have soured in recent years over accusations from Islamabad that Afghanistan harbours militant groups which stage attacks in Pakistan.
Of particular concern to Islamabad is the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group, which Islamabad has been demanding action against.
Pakistan accuses the Taliban authorities of allowing the TTP to use Afghan territory as a “training-cum-logistic base and jump off point for terrorist activities”, according to Tarar’s statement.
The Taliban government has consistently denied the allegations.
After the October 9 explosions in Kabul, which coincided with a visit to New Delhi by Afghan foreign minister Amir Muttaqi, the Taliban launched a retaliatory border offensive, prompting a response from Pakistan.
An initial 48-hour ceasefire lapsed before a second truce emerged on October 19 following talks in Doha, also brokered by Qatar and Turkey.
Border shut
The border between the two neighbours has been closed for more than two weeks, with only Afghans expelled from Pakistan allowed to cross.
Read more:Amid Dwindling Hope, Mediators Push for Fourth Round of Talks Between Pakistan and Afghanistan
In the Afghan border town of Spin Boldak, a driver had told AFP on Monday that “fruit is rotting” in trucks.
“There are 50 to 60 trucks, some with apples, others with pomegranates and grapes,” said 25-year-old Gul, who only gave his first name.
“We wait and call on the government to reopen the border, he said.
A Pakistani security source said Tuesday the Afghan Taliban delegation initially agreed to Islamabad’s call for “credible and decisive action” against the TTP.
But the Afghan side “reversed its position repeatedly after instructions from Kabul”, said the source, who was not authorised to discuss the talks publicly.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned on Saturday that failure to reach a deal could lead to “open war”.
Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for Afghanistan’s interior ministry, said on Tuesday any attack would be met with a response “that will serve as a lesson for Pakistan and a message for others”.
“Indeed, we do not possess nuclear weapons, but neither did NATO nor the United States manage to subdue Afghanistan despite 20 years of war,” Qani told Afghan media outlet Ariana News.
The violence killed at least 50 Afghan civilians and wounded 447 others in one week, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told AFP on Monday.
Pakistan’s military said on October 12 that 23 personnel had been killed and 29 wounded, without detailing civilian casualties.
With the Additional Inputs from GVS South Asia Desk