In a message on X, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan had provided refuge to Afghans for five decades and shared its limited resources with them. Following the withdrawal of NATO forces, Pakistan expressed goodwill and hoped that its borders would remain secure and that its neighbours would live in peace.
However, he claimed that 70 to 80 per cent of those involved in attacks on mosques, schools and markets, as well as those targeting Pakistan’s armed forces, are Afghans. He further stated that some of them are expressing solidarity with India, which he described as Pakistan’s “sworn and eternal enemy.”
Asif said Pakistan continues to maintain direct and indirect contacts with Afghanistan’s military and civilian leadership, but there has been no reduction in what he described as anti-Pakistan sentiment and hostility among Afghans.
He added that the solidarity being expressed by some Pakistani students with Afghan students was not driven by affection but reflected their own political leanings.
Asif further said that if five decades of providing sanctuary and sustenance to Afghans, despite international criticism, had failed to change their mindset, those supporting them should perhaps seek education at an Afghan institution to promote goodwill.
The defence minister also accused Pakistani students of disrespecting the sacrifices of Pakistani martyrs who, he alleged, had been killed by terrorists crossing into Pakistan from Afghanistan.
He urged people not to allow political loyalty to a party to the extent that they begin to consider Pakistani lives and sacrifices insignificant.