'We are in a state of war': Pakistan Def Min Khawaja Asif claims after Islamabad suicide blast

A suicide blast outside district court buildings rocked Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday (Nov 11). The explosion killed 12 lives, and later in the day, the terror outfit Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility. But the country’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated, “we are in a state of war.”He further emphasised how “the rulers of Kabul can stop terrorism in Pakistan.”

Pakistan has been embroiled in cross-border fighting with neighbouring Afghanistan. And Islamabad, which claims it is fighting terrorism and is currently urging its neighbour to not perpetrate, has been fostering terror outfits on its own soil. Asif took to his X account to post, “We are in a state of war. Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan Army is fighting this war in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and the remote areas of Balochistan should take today's suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts as a wake-up call: this is a war for all of Pakistan, in which the Pakistan Army is giving daily sacrifices and making the people feel secure.”

"In this environment, it would be futile to hold out greater hope for successful negotiations with the rulers of Kabul. The rulers of Kabul can stop terrorism in Pakistan, but bringing this war all the way to Islamabad is a message from Kabul, to which Pakistan has the full strength to respond," he added.

Not the first time, the country is trading blame for its own weak infrastructure. Not too long ago, the defence minister was also seen admitting to international news outlet Sky News that it was associated with terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Days after the dastardly attack by The Resistance Front, an offshoot of LeT, on Indian soil on April 22, Asif confirmed that Pakistan had been associated with the terror oufit in the 'past'. He added, "Lashkar-e-Taiba doesn't exist in Pakistan anymore; it is extinct."