Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Thursday that Pakistan does not need to deploy its full military might to remove the Taliban regime, but warned that if the group chooses to fight, Islamabad will respond decisively.

In a strongly worded statement posted on X, Khawaja Asif accused the Taliban leadership of prolonging its rule and pursuing a “war economy” that is pushing Afghanistan toward another crisis.

He said the group’s public posturing masks weakness and that its threats are largely for show.

“If the Taliban opt for the path of conflict, the world will see that their bluster is only for display,” the minister said, adding that Pakistan will not tolerate any terrorist or suicide attacks launched from its soil and will respond firmly to any aggression.

Khawaja Asif also urged the Taliban to “account for their fate” and warned that testing Pakistan’s resolve would prove costly for them.

Interview with Aaj News

In a separate, wide-ranging interview with Aaj News, the minister alleged that Kabul was never sincere during the recent talks, adding that the failure of the Doha negotiations was the result of Kabul’s changing stance.

He said both sides came close to an agreement in Doha on “three or four” occasions.

However, the Afghan side withdrew every time at the last minute after phone calls to Kabul.

“The negotiations were never sincere from Kabul’s side — they were acting as a proxy for India,” Khawaja Asif said, asserting that the entire leadership in Kabul was playing into New Delhi’s hands.

Referring to Pakistan’s earlier stance in Istanbul talks, the minister reiterated Islamabad’s demand that Afghanistan clamp down on extremist elements and stop allowing its soil to be used against Pakistan.

Khawaja Asif further said that Afghanistan does not even meet the definition of a state, and there is a fear that the Taliban regime is pushing Afghanistan into the past.

Sources say tough positions were taken during the bilateral talks and that the breakdown has raised fears of sustained tension along the border.

It should be noted that during the Istanbul talks, Pakistan made it clear that Afghanistan must rein in the Fitna Al Khawarij at all costs.

Khawaja Asif warned that Pakistan will continue operations against terrorists and their facilitators until it receives an irrefutable guarantee that Afghan territory is not being used against Pakistan.

The defence minister also criticised Kabul for statements he described as “poisonous and contradictory,” which, he said, revealed internal discord and deception within the Taliban regime.

He said Afghanistan under the current regime has become “less than a graveyard for its own people,” and said the country has long been a playground for great-power rivalries.