Asif says futile to hope for positive talks with Kabul

‘State of war’

ISLAMABAD:  Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said Pakistan was in a “state of war” after at least 12 people were killed and 36 were injured on Tuesday in a suicide blast in the federal capital, adding that it was futile to hope for any positive outcome of talks with Kabul after the incident.

The incident occurred as international events were being hosted in the capital, including the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference and the 6th Margalla Dialogue, while a cricket match between the Greenshirts and Sri Lanka was also being held in Pindi. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif blamed the incident on terrorists “active with Indian support”. The incident comes following a breakdown in negotiations with the Afghan Taliban government.

“We are in a state of war. Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan Army is fighting this war in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and the remote areas of Balochistan should take today’s suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts as a wake-up call: this is a war for all of Pakistan, in which the Pakistan Army is giving daily sacrifices and making the people feel secure,” said the defence minister in a post on X.

“In this environment, it would be futile to hold out greater hope for successful negotiations with the rulers of Kabul.” He said Kabul could put a stop to the ongoing terrorism in Pakistan, “but bringing this war all the way to Islamabad is a message from Kabul, to which … Pakistan has the full strength to respond”. Staff Report