What happened
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told the National Assembly on 13 May 2026 that Afghanistan’s refusal to stop militants from using its territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan could leave “only one alternative” — open war.
“Then only one alternative remains. Then there will be war,” Asif said. “It will be an open war.”
The minister said Islamabad had exhausted diplomatic efforts, including multiple rounds of talks mediated by Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and had received verbal promises but no written assurances from Kabul.
Talks and accusations
Asif said he had personally conducted three rounds of talks. “You cannot imagine … there were talks lasting 12 hours, 13 hours, even 19 hours with the Kabul government, but under no circumstances are they willing to put anything in writing,” he said.
He went further and accused the Taliban government of acting as a proxy for India. “If they are not willing to abandon the terrorists, and if they are not prepared to commit to ending support for those terrorists, then the Kabul government at this moment is acting as a proxy of India,” he said. “Hindutva is fighting its war against us through Kabul, Afghanistan.”
He added that Delhi and Kabul were effectively aligned against Pakistan: “Whether it is the eastern border or the western, the enemy is the same. There is no difference between Delhi and Kabul at the moment.”
Context
The remarks followed two recent attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province that borders Afghanistan. Days earlier, a suicide assault on a police post in Bannu killed at least 14 police officers in a car bombing and ambush that Pakistani officials blamed on Afghanistan-based militants. On 12 May, a bombing in a crowded market in Lakki Marwat district killed at least nine people and wounded dozens more.
Despite the escalation, Asif insisted Pakistan still preferred a negotiated solution. “Our wish, of course, is that there should be a difference,” he said. “That they should talk to us. That they should come to some kind of arrangement with us. So that some solution to this terrorism can be found.”
He also acknowledged improved coordination with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, which had previously been at odds with federal authorities over counterterrorism strategy, saying the provincial government was now “standing firmly with the Centre and the armed forces against terrorism.”
Why it matters
The warning is one of Islamabad’s most pointed public statements in weeks at a time of sharply deteriorating relations with Kabul. Pakistani officials say sanctuaries in Afghanistan have enabled a resurgence of militancy that has claimed hundreds of lives, while Afghan officials counter that militancy inside Pakistan is an internal Pakistani problem. The minister’s remarks indicate that, for now, Islamabad is still pairing the threat of war with an offer of talks.
What is still uncertain
No deadline or specific consequence was attached to the warning, and Asif said Pakistan continued to prefer dialogue. Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected Pakistan’s allegations that it shelters militants, and no immediate response from Kabul to his National Assembly remarks was reported. The quotations and the account of the session rest on Independent Pakistan’s report.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published material, not independent reporting. Source reviewed on 2026-05-13. Quotations are as carried by the source.
- Independent Pakistan — "Defence minister Asif warns of 'open war' with Afghanistan unless Taliban halts cross-border militant attacks"Report on the 13 May 2026 National Assembly session, Asif's "open war" warning, his account of talks with Kabul and his accusations against India.
- Arab News — "Pakistan defense minister warns of 'open war' with Afghanistan over militant attacks"13 May 2026 · Reports the same National Assembly remarks and the context of the Bannu and Lakki Marwat attacks.
