'Every state proxy of neighbor will be reduced to dust': Field Marshal warns Afghan Taliban

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Saturday urged the Afghan Taliban to rein in proxies that are perpetrating heinous attacks inside Pakistan.

The remarks came during the Passing Out Parade of the 152nd PMA Long Course at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul. The Field Marshal was the chief guest and reviewing dignitary; he reviewed the parade and presented awards to distinguished cadets.

In his address, Field Marshal Munir reiterated that there is no space for war in a nuclearised environment and urged India to settle core issues with Pakistan in accordance with international norms, on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

“Having failed in its belligerence against Pakistan in Operation Marka-e-Haq, India continues to pursue state‑sponsored terrorism as a preferred policy,” he said. “Our adversary’s use of ‘Fitnaul Hind’ and ‘Fitnaul Khawarij’ as hide guns exposes its hypocritical and heinous face to the world. Equally disconcerting is the use of Afghan soil for terrorism in Pakistan.”

He appealed to the people of Afghanistan to choose mutual security over perpetual violence and progress over hardline obscurantism, stating the Taliban regime must rein in proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.

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The Field Marshal vowed that law enforcement agencies and the armed forces, supported by the people of Pakistan—particularly those in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan—will defeat this menace. “Be assured that, like our victory in the conventional domain, every state proxy of our neighbor will be reduced to dust, Inshallah (God Willing),” he added.