Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has harshly criticized Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, accusing him of challenging the state through his public statements. “Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is spewing a lot of poison,” Asif said while speaking on the Geo News program ‘Naya Pakistan’.
Addressing the issue of terrorism, Asif blamed Afghanistan for cross-border attacks and also questioned the provincial government’s intentions. “Our biggest demand is that terrorists do not cross the border from Afghanistan,” he stated. “If they (the provincial government) do not monitor the border and stop these terrorists, it means they are also involved.”
The Defense Minister noted grimly that the entire leadership of the TTP is currently in Kabul. “Unfortunately, these people were once our guests, and today they have turned against us,” he remarked.
He confirmed that all matters would be settled in the next round of negotiations scheduled for November 6, expressing trust in Qatar’s role as a mediator due to good relations.
Commenting on internal politics, Asif said that PTI members are “washing their dirty laundry in public” and blaming each other. He also completely disassociated himself from Danyal Chaudhry’s statement regarding a “Gaza Stabilization Force,” stating, “I can only say Astaghfarullah (I seek God’s forgiveness)… if this is the role, I am not in favor of it.”
