‘Patience has run out, now it is open war,’ Khawaja Asif warns Afghan Talban

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Friday accused the Afghan Taliban of acting as a proxy for India and warned that Pakistan’s patience had run out, declaring that the situation had escalated into “open war.”

In a statement posted on X, the minister said that after the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan, there had been expectations that peace would prevail and that the Taliban would focus on the welfare of the Afghan people and regional stability.

“Instead, Afghanistan was turned into an Indian colony. Terrorists from around the world were gathered there, and terrorism was exported. The Afghan people were deprived of basic human rights, and women were denied the rights granted to them by Islam,” Asif said.

He maintained that Pakistan had made every effort—both directly and through friendly countries—to maintain stability through extensive diplomatic engagement, but the Taliban have become a proxy of India.

“Today, when attempts are being made to target Pakistan through aggression, by the grace of God our armed forces are delivering a decisive response,” he said. “Pakistan has always played a positive role. For five decades, it hosted five million Afghans. Even today, hundreds of thousands of Afghans are earning their livelihood on our soil.”

“Our patience has run out. Now it is open war between you and us. There will be decisive action,” the minister warned, adding that Pakistan, as Afghanistan’s neighbor, was fully aware of the ground realities.

Meanwhile, Pakistan launched ‘Ghazab Lil Haq’ operation, in response to the unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban forces across multiple locations along the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), on the night of Friday, February 26 2026.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has claimed that 133 members of the Afghan Taliban regime were killed and more than 200 injured in what he described as Pakistan’s retaliatory action.

Speaking to ARY News, Mr Tarar said defensive targets linked to the Afghan Taliban were struck in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar. He added that further casualties were possible as operations continued.