Pakistan Warns Taliban: Blood to be Repaid with Blood

DID Press: Accusing Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities of “supporting Pakistani militants,” Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif warned it will not remain silent in the face of recent bloodshed.

He declared that the blood of Pakistani citizens and security personnel “will not be shed in vain” and that the government “will seek accountability for every drop.”

The remarks come amid a fresh wave of deadly attacks across Pakistan, including a suicide bombing in Islamabad last week that left dozens dead and injured. Pakistani officials claim the mastermind of the attack was an Afghan national, alleging the operation was directed from Afghanistan territory.

At the same time, Balochistan province has experienced a surge in large-scale assaults that have claimed dozens of lives. The Pakistani government accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering Baloch insurgents and has also alleged Indian involvement in recent instability.

Both Kabul and New Delhi have rejected the accusations.

Referring to unsuccessful rounds of talks held in Doha, Istanbul, and Jeddah, Asif said negotiations continued even as “the blood of our sons was being spilled.” He further alleged that the Taliban had demanded 10 billion Pakistani rupees to relocate members of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from border areas — a proposal he described as unacceptable without guarantees that the militants would not return.

In another part of his remarks, Asif criticized opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, calling his comments about the military “irresponsible” and “an attempt to defame a national institution.”

Achakzai had reportedly said that relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan would not improve as long as Pakistan views Afghanistan as its “fifth province.”