AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has sparked debate with his remarks on U.S.-Pakistan relations. Speaking in the National Assembly about Pakistan’s role in the wars in Afghanistan, he accused the United States of using Pakistan for its strategic interests and later abandoning it.
Khawaja Asif said that Pakistan’s participation in the two Afghan wars was not driven by religious motives or jihad, but that it was a superpower’s war. He stated that the Soviet Union had entered Afghanistan at the invitation of its then government, and describing it as an invasion reflects the American perspective.
He alleged that military rulers Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf involved Pakistan in the Afghan wars to gain favor with the United States. According to him, these wars led to changes in Pakistan’s educational curriculum as well as its political and religious values, the effects of which are still visible today.
Asif said that after 9/11, Pakistan supported the U.S.-led war and turned against the Taliban, but after the U.S. withdrawal, Pakistan was left to deal with terrorism, extremism, and economic pressure. He described this as “blowback.”
He also accused the United States of causing instability in the region over the past two to three decades. Referring to the 9/11 attacks, he said it is still unclear who was responsible, yet Pakistan remained aligned with the U.S. for many years.
Khawaja Asif added that Pakistan’s prolonged involvement in Afghanistan for over two decades has contributed to the rise of terrorism within the country today.
Your Comment