Khawaja Asif urges Afghans to return home peacefully.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif urged Afghan nationals to return home, emphasizing Pakistan’s resources belong to its citizens, while accusing Kabul of supporting terrorists and serving as India’s proxy.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif delivered a blistering rebuke to Kabul on Friday, telling Afghans living in Pakistan to return to their homeland and declaring the era of old relations between the neighbours is over. His message — blunt, uncompromising and aimed at demonstrating resolve — reflects rising tensions along the Durand Line as a fragile ceasefire faltered.
“Asif said: ‘All Afghans residing on Pakistani soil must return to their homeland; they now have their own government, their own caliphate in Kabul. Our land and resources belong to 250 million Pakistanis.’” The remark, posted on social media, underscored Islamabad’s impatience with what it describes as repeated cross-border incidents and growing interference.
His statement came as a 48-hour truce expired, although reports indicated a possible extension as both capitals prepared for talks in Doha. The situation remains volatile: the Taliban accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes in several districts of Paktika province, and a senior Taliban official said the truce had been “broken” after the strikes. Such allegations deepen distrust and make diplomatic progress more difficult.
Asif detailed Islamabad’s lengthy catalogue of diplomatic protests, saying Pakistan had lodged 836 protest notes and 13 demarches with Afghan authorities over cross-border terrorism. “There will be no longer protest notes or appeals for peace; no delegations will go to Kabul,” he warned, signaling a shift from measured diplomacy to harsher measures should attacks continue. “Wherever the source of terrorism lies, it will have to pay a heavy price.”
For ordinary people caught between these tensions, the rhetoric is worrying. Border communities on both sides have endured cycles of fear and displacement for years. Families who run cross-border businesses, students studying in neighbouring towns, and labourers who travel for seasonal work now face fresh uncertainty. Asif’s call for Afghans to return home may carry huge human costs if implemented without safeguards, assistance or clear timelines.
Analysts say Asif’s tough tone reflects domestic pressures in Pakistan: political leaders must show they can protect territory and citizens, especially when violence threatens to spill into populous areas. At the same time, Islamabad must weigh the humanitarian implications of mass returns and the diplomatic fallout of escalating military responses.
The reference to India as a proxy and Kabul’s alleged support for terrorist groups adds another layer to the regional puzzle. Such accusations have long poisoned relations between Islamabad and Kabul and complicate any third-party mediation efforts. International actors watching closely will likely call for restraint and urge both sides to resume talks in neutral venues with clear confidence-building measures.
In the immediate term, the priority for leaders should be de-escalation paired with practical planning for civilians. That means opening humanitarian channels, ensuring safe corridors for returnees, and arranging independent investigations into reported strikes and incursions. Without these steps, rhetoric alone risks producing cycles of retaliation that harm the very communities leaders claim to protect.
Khawaja Asif’s declaration marks a stark pivot in tone from diplomatic appeals to stern warnings. Whether it will prompt meaningful change on the ground or sharpen a dangerous spiral of mistrust depends on how Islamabad and Kabul, and the wider international community, respond next. For now, anxious families along the border are left hoping that talks in Doha will yield calm rather than further conflict. People in border towns pray for peace, tending small gardens and shops while leaders trade threats; their lives—and futures—should be the compass guiding every diplomatic decision now. truly