ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khwaja Asif delivered a candid revelation in the National Assembly, asserting that the nation’s deep involvement in Afghanistan’s protracted conflicts stemmed not from religious zeal but from a calculated quest for political legitimacy and support from global superpowers, particularly the United States.
Speaking on recent sessions, Asif traced Pakistan’s strategic entanglements from the Cold War era through the post-9/11 invasions. ‘We did not join these wars to defend Islam or wage jihad,’ he emphatically stated, as reported by Afghan media outlet Amu TV. ‘Our participation was driven by the need for political validation and backing from a superpower.’
He dissected the Soviet-Afghan War of the 1980s, often romanticized as a ‘jihad,’ labeling it instead a proxy battle between major powers. ‘That was no jihad; it was a superpower’s war,’ Asif remarked. Pakistan went to extraordinary lengths, even reshaping its education system to align with the conflict’s narrative—a curriculum that, he admitted, still bears scars today.
Asif acknowledged how Pakistan rewrote its history to fit the jihad framework, restructuring society, politics, and religion accordingly. The pattern repeated after the Soviet withdrawal. Post-9/11, Pakistan aligned swiftly with the US-led campaign in Afghanistan, committing nearly two decades to what he called ‘renting ourselves out’ solely for American support.
‘No Afghan was involved in 9/11, nor was Afghanistan as a nation responsible,’ Asif noted pointedly. Yet, Pakistan plunged in regardless. He lamented the leadership’s repeated failure to learn from history, urging a reckoning with these strategic missteps that prioritized foreign alliances over national interest.
This admission marks a rare public introspection from a top Pakistani official, potentially reshaping narratives around the country’s role in regional turmoil. As Afghanistan stabilizes under Taliban rule, Asif’s words signal a desire to move beyond proxy dynamics toward genuine sovereignty.