Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif during a press briefing after the Islamabad blast (Photo: Pinterest)
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif during a press briefing on Tuesday when he was told mid-way through the conference that the TTP had claimed responsibility for the Islamabad blast.
The attack had killed at least 12 people outside a district court and had underlined the government's internal disconnect after Asif had seconds earlier blamed Afghanistan and India for a wave of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
Speaking to the press, Asif claimed Afghanistan had raised the temperature of war by allowing militants to move freely across the border and an armed conflict between the two countries could definitely happen.
In the same breath, he blamed neighboring India for pulling the strings behind the recent wave of violence. He seemed oblivious that it was the TTP is not any foreign power and that has already claimed this attack.
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Asif looked surprised when a journalist interrupted him to say that the Pakistani Taliban had claimed responsibility for the blast.
'Is it official? Have they accepted?' he asked. Once the claim was confirmed, he replied in a huff, “Then there is no room for doubt. The TTP is an extension of the rulers sitting in Kabul.”
The conversation quickly made the rounds on social media, where Pakistan’s defence chief was roundly criticized and mocked for finding out who had carried out the attack from the media.
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Earlier, in an interview to GeoTV, Asif had claimed that terrorists crossed from Afghanistan into Pakistan over the past year, with 2,500–3,000 infiltrators finding their way into the country in different areas. He further claimed that around 55 per cent of those killed in operations were Afghan nationals.
Asif, despite an open confession by the TTP, alleged that India was mounting a proxy war against Pakistan using Afghan soil. Asif warned both neighbours that Islamabad would respond in kind against any misadventure.
Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available reports and statements. It does not represent any government’s official position or policy.
