Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has made a stunning admission, acknowledging that the country supported terrorist groups for more than three decades as part of its alignment with United States-led foreign policy objectives. The remarks, made in an interview with Sky News, come just days after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 civilians and triggered a wave of diplomatic retaliation from India.
“We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for three decades… That was a mistake,” Asif said when directly asked about Pakistan’s history of funding and training terror groups.
He referenced Pakistan’s involvement in both the Cold War and the global war on terror, saying, “If we had not joined the war against the Soviet Union and withdrawn from the war after 9/11, Pakistan’s track record would have been unimpeachable.”
Asif’s candid remarks mark one of the clearest public acknowledgments from a senior Pakistani official of the country’s longstanding policy of fostering militancy as a tool of strategic influence. Although past leaders have admitted to supporting mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan conflict, few have directly connected such actions to long-term instability and strategic missteps.
Tensions rise post-Pahalgam attack
The comments follow the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, which India has squarely blamed on Pakistan-backed militants. In response, India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, revoked visas issued to Pakistani nationals, shut down the Attari check post, and reduced diplomatic staff at the Pakistan High Commission.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in damage control mode, stated that Islamabad is open to a “neutral, transparent and credible investigation” into the incident. He also reiterated Pakistan’s preparedness to “defend its sovereignty” amid rising tensions.
India, however, remains unconvinced. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to bring the perpetrators to justice and declared that terrorism “will not go unpunished.”
What it means
Asif’s confession further fuels India’s narrative of Pakistan’s continued use of terrorism as state policy. It also puts Islamabad in a diplomatically vulnerable position just as it calls for global mediation and seeks to deflect blame over the Pahalgam massacre. The fallout from both the attack and the minister’s statement is likely to have lasting implications for regional stability and global counterterrorism discourse.
