Khawaja Asif used a scathing address to the National Assembly to justify the ongoing mass deportation of Afghan nationals
In a stark escalation of rhetoric, CNN-News18 has learnt that Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, has effectively declared neighbouring Afghanistan as his country’s “number one enemy”, using a scathing address to the National Assembly to justify the ongoing mass deportation of Afghan nationals.
The minister’s remarks are rooted in the belief that Pakistan’s decades of “too much hospitality” towards Afghan refugees—estimated in the millions—have been betrayed. He alleged that Afghan nationals are “doing business in Pakistan” and even “ruling in Afghanistan”, while elements of the Afghan Taliban have “kept wives in Pakistan and are betraying Pakistan” by providing sanctuary to anti-Pakistan militant groups like the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Asif’s core grievance focuses on the issue of loyalty, claiming that Afghan residents, despite building “big businesses” and enjoying Pakistani hospitality, “don’t chant Pakistan Zindabad”. He asserted that the massive refugee presence—many of whom are undocumented—is directly linked to a surge in cross-border terrorist attacks, which have dramatically increased since the Taliban regained power in Kabul in August 2021.
The remarks also came against the backdrop of recent alleged airstrikes and exchanges of fire along the Durand Line. Pakistan also views Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s “warm reception” in New Delhi this week as a major loss of “strategic control” over the Taliban.
This hardline stance provides the political and emotional context for Pakistan’s controversial deportation campaign, which began in October 2023. The government has stated that the expulsion of all foreign nationals without legal documents is a matter of national security, directly responding to the increasing militancy.
