KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, has openly admitted that his country has been supporting and funding terrorist groups, including the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba, for decades.
In an interview with Sky News on Thursday, Asif acknowledged Pakistan’s long history of backing these groups, saying that the country had been doing this “dirty work for the US, the West, and particularly the UK, for the past three decades.”
However, he was quick to call it a “mistake” and noted that Pakistan is now suffering as a result.
Asif’s remarks come amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed at least 26 people. India has accused Pakistan of backing the militant groups responsible for the attack and has suspended diplomatic relations with Islamabad.
This is the first time a senior Pakistani official has openly acknowledged the country’s role in supporting terrorist groups. The former Afghan government had repeatedly accused Pakistan of such actions, though Pakistani officials consistently denied the claims.
During the Taliban’s insurgency against the Western-backed Afghan government, Pakistan provided financial and logistical support to the group. Pakistani officials also celebrated the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
In recent years, Pakistan has faced a surge in terrorist attacks, primarily carried out by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which shares similar ideology with the Afghan Taliban. Critics argue that Pakistan is now paying the price for the very policies it supported for decades.
