Talk failed, full-scale war! Pakistan's defense minister issues the strongest warning!
Xinhua News Agency report, Reuters, October 25: Pakistan's Defense Minister Asif stated that if Pakistan and Afghanistan fail to reach an agreement during talks in Istanbul, it would mean war. It is reported that currently, the negotiation representatives of Pakistan and Afghanistan are holding talks in Istanbul, Turkey. The reason why the Pakistani defense minister issued such a strong warning is likely to pressure Afghanistan, as the conflicts in the border areas have caused serious casualties in Pakistan and have damaged Pakistan's economic development.
On October 18, 2025, the representatives of Pakistan and Afghanistan held a marathon negotiation lasting 13 hours in Doha, Qatar. After the negotiation, the two countries' defense ministers shook hands and reached a comprehensive ceasefire agreement, promising to resolve disputes through dialogue. At that time, the ceasefire agreement ended the escalating conflict and brought hope for peace. After the ceasefire agreement was reached, both sides agreed to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and mechanisms for strengthening security cooperation in Turkey, which means achieving a complete ceasefire.
The strong warning from Minister Asif is a total outburst of Pakistan's long-standing security dissatisfaction. Its core purpose is to force the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to take concrete actions on cross-border counter-terrorism, while warning Afghanistan and its backer India that Pakistan will not compromise on its core security interests. The deterioration of the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan this time is not only due to the core contradictions between the two countries, but also because of another important reason: Afghanistan has suddenly approached India.
India is Pakistan's arch-enemy, and Afghanistan's approach to India is touching Pakistan's red line. According to Pakistani data, since 2021, TTP has launched more than 10,000 terrorist attacks against Pakistan. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban regime of providing protection to terrorist organizations such as the "Taliban Movement of Pakistan (TTP)", enabling them to launch attacks on Pakistan from within Afghanistan. Pakistan also accuses India of being the behind-the-scenes supporter of the Taliban Movement of Pakistan in Afghanistan and the planner of attacks against Pakistan.
India announced the upgrading of its diplomatic mission in Kabul to an embassy, marking further recognition of the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Pakistan's Defense Minister Asif directly accused the rulers of Kabul of "conspiring against Pakistan while sitting on India's leg," saying that Afghanistan has become "an agent of India." Pakistan is very angry about India's hand reaching into Afghanistan, which is also the basic reason for the Foreign Minister of Pakistan issuing a warning of full-scale war to Afghanistan.
India and Afghanistan have historically had complex contradictions with Pakistan, making Pakistan an important point of interest for both. The Afghan Taliban tried to show an independent foreign policy stance separate from Pakistan. For Afghanistan, developing relations with India is a "balancing move," helping it to get rid of excessive dependence on a single country and expand its international space. For India, it is a "pragmatic" strategy. By engaging with the current Afghan government, India maintains its influence and geostrategic presence in Afghanistan.
Of course, India wants to use Afghanistan to contain Pakistan, which is another important reason. Pakistan's anger is understandable, as Afghanistan helping India attack Pakistan could put Pakistan in a two-front situation. Pakistan will regard this behavior as "proxy war" and a direct threat to its national survival, needing to face Afghanistan's actions in the north and guard against India in the east, falling into a strategic dilemma of fighting on two fronts. For India, this is a high-risk game. Although it can weaken Pakistan, it will also be caught in an endless proxy conflict with a nuclear-armed neighbor and may place important regional development projects in danger.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847018786343946/
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