Kabul, February 14: In a recent statement, Pakistan‘s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif admitted that the country has been operating in Afghanistan like a “mercenary force.” This acknowledgment highlights a significant failure in Pakistan‘s policy towards its neighbor. His comments reflect an ongoing internal review of Pakistan’s Afghan strategy and suggest that Islamabad is attempting to shift the responsibility for its security crisis onto Kabul.
During a recent address in the Islamabad Assembly following a suicide attack, Asif condemned terrorism and characterized Pakistan’s long-standing involvement in Afghanistan as serving Western interests rather than ideological beliefs. He stated that Pakistan had been engaged in the Afghan conflict for 22 to 23 years, not out of religious motives, but to gain support from the United States.
Asif noted that Pakistan has not fully accepted its past mistakes, which are now repeating themselves. His admission challenges the narrative that Pakistan has long framed its involvement in Afghanistan as a religious duty to protect the Muslim world.
Former Afghan ambassador Aziz Marek commented that Asif’s statements are less about taking responsibility and more about absolving Pakistani officials from accountability. He emphasized that Pakistan’s activities in Afghanistan were driven by economic interests.
Asif’s remarks also reflect frustration towards the Taliban, indicating that Afghanistan, which once heeded Pakistan’s concerns, is now showing “hesitation” and is reluctant to provide anti-terrorism assurances. His statements underscore the deteriorating relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as Pakistan had hoped to secure its western border following the Taliban’s return to power.
According to a report from the Afghan Diaspora Network, Kazim Jafari, a political science student at Heidelberg University in Germany, stated that Asif’s confession represents the most straightforward example of a Pakistani minister acknowledging policy failure. His speech reveals contradictions within Pakistan’s Afghan policy, showing a desire to accept past mistakes while still placing blame on others.
Jafari further remarked, “These statements are both clear and concerning for Afghanistan. They reveal Pakistan’s internal self-assessment of its Afghan policy while also indicating new attempts to shift the responsibility for its security crisis onto Kabul.”
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