In a striking address to Pakistan’s National Assembly, Defense Minister Khwaja Asif dismantled decades-old myths surrounding his country’s involvement in Afghanistan’s wars. Far from holy struggles, these engagements were pragmatic bids for international legitimacy and alliance with Washington, he confessed.
From the Soviet invasion in 1979 to the War on Terror after 2001, Pakistan’s choices were geopolitical chess moves. Quoting Asif via Amu TV: ‘We entered not for Islam’s defense but for a superpower’s endorsement and political cover.’
The minister vividly recalled the 1980s conflict, reframed domestically as jihad but truly a Cold War proxy. Pakistan sacrificed its educational foundations, infusing madrasas with militant ideology that lingers in textbooks. ‘We reconfigured society, politics, and faith to match that false narrative,’ he said.
Undeterred by the Soviet exit, Pakistan repeated the playbook post-9/11. For 20 years, it supported US operations in Afghanistan, with Asif bluntly describing it as ‘leasing our nation’ for aid and alliances. He highlighted the irony: the 9/11 attackers had no Afghan ties, yet Pakistan bore the war’s brutal costs.
Asif’s speech underscores a leadership pattern of historical amnesia, chasing short-term gains at long-term expense. With Taliban now in Kabul, his reflections could herald policy shifts, emphasizing self-reliance over superpower dependencies. Analysts see this as a pivotal moment for Pakistan to redefine its Afghan strategy amid evolving South Asian geopolitics.