In a striking admission, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has acknowledged his country’s past involvement in supporting terror groups over several decades. Speaking to UK-based Sky News, Asif stated that Pakistan had carried out covert operations and supported militant organisations on behalf of the West, including the United States and Britain, during the Cold War and the post-9/11 era.
During the interview, Asif remarked that Pakistan had been involved in this “dirty work” for nearly three decades. He called it a mistake that had cost the country dearly, claiming that if Pakistan had not joined the conflicts against the Soviet Union and later the global war on terror, its record would have remained “unimpeachable.”
Khawaja Asif fumbles on Sky News with Yalda Hakim! His idiotic “we did dirty work for US” answer to terror support claims, then lame backpedal, is a PR disaster. He’s clueless—first line’s all people hear! [Video]
— Dr. Shahbaz GiLL (@SHABAZGIL) April 25, 2025
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The defence minister criticised global powers, particularly the United States, for shifting blame onto Pakistan for the rise of terrorism in the region. He pointed to the 1980s, when many militants were supported by the West and later turned into adversaries, stating that such policies contributed to the current security challenges.
Asif’s comments come amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, following the brutal terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. The incident claimed the lives of 28 people, including tourists and a local pony guide. India has strongly condemned the attack and attributed responsibility to Pakistan-based terror networks.
Lashkar-e-Taiba’s shadow group, The Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed responsibility for the massacre. Investigations have reportedly traced digital footprints of the assailants to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Karachi. According to officials, a group of five to six terrorists targeted Hindu male tourists at Baisaran meadows near Pahalgam, selectively killing them in a chilling execution-style assault.
