Pakistani Students Supporting Afghan Students Is an Insult to Our Martyrs’ Blood, Declares Defense Minister Khawaja Asif
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Defense Khawaja Asif has vehemently reacted against the activities of local student organisations calling out for Afghan students, alleging that their actions are an insult to the blood of those who died martyred by the terrorists.
In a strong statement made on social media platform X, Khawaja Asif reminded everyone that Pakistan provided shelter to Afghan nationals for more than 50 years, sharing its scarce national resources and wishing the Afghans a better life after the withdrawal of the NATO forces. He stated that 70-80 percent of terrorists behind attacks on Pakistani mosques, schools, markets, and security forces are Afghan.
Desperate Hostility after Decades of Hospitality and Continuing Contact.
Afghan elements are often found to be sympathetic towards India, which is Pakistan’s rival, the Defense Minister noted. He disclosed that direct and indirect communication with Afghan counterparts by civil and military leadership and his office has remained constant but this communication has not yet reduced deep-rooted animosity and hostility from across the border.
Some Pakistani students’ willingness to show solidarity with Afghan students is due to their political ideology, not to their good will. Their mindset was inculcated over the past 50 years through hospitality and sharing of resources, and nothing could change that, he said.
Warning Against Blind Political Devotion
The Defense Minister challenged the student sympathizers to try to get their education in an Afghan institution to learn the ground realities in Afghanistan.
Asif warned that he was not about to be seen as “blind political alignment” and warned that the blood of fellow Pakistanis would not look cheap in the eyes of the lovers of a political party.