Islamabad – In a revelation that has stunned the international community, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has publicly admitted to his country’s decades-long involvement in supporting terrorism — a confession that sheds new light on Pakistan’s controversial role in regional and global conflicts.
Speaking in a candid interview with Sky News UK, Asif acknowledged that Islamabad had served as a proxy for Western powers, including the United States and the United Kingdom, in carrying out covert operations.
“We have been doing this dirty work for the US for the past three decades, including the West and the United Kingdom,” Asif stated.
Although he later described these actions as a “mistake” and lamented the heavy toll Pakistan has paid, the admission has sent shockwaves through diplomatic and intelligence circles worldwide. Asif further suggested that Pakistan’s reputation would have been “unimpeachable” had it avoided entanglement in the Soviet-Afghan war and the post-9/11 global war on terror.
This frank confession arrives at a volatile moment, as Pakistan faces renewed allegations of harboring extremist groups responsible for the recent Pahalgam massacre in Kashmir, where 26 civilians, including 25 Indians and one Nepali national, lost their lives. The militant group The Resistance Front (TRF), widely believed to be a proxy for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the bloodshed.
For decades, Pakistan’s territory has served as a haven for extremist groups. From hosting mujahideen fighters during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan to sheltering the Taliban and enabling al-Qaeda, Islamabad’s use of terrorism as a foreign policy instrument has been an open secret. Notably, it was in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden — the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks — was discovered and killed by U.S. forces.
Indian intelligence sources have confirmed that the recent attack in Kashmir was orchestrated by a hardened LeT-linked cell operating with support from across the border. Hafiz Saeed, the UN-sanctioned terrorist leader of LeT, is believed to have played an operational role, despite international warrants and sanctions.
The Pahalgam massacre is not an isolated incident. Militants believed to be part of the same network carried out two other brutal attacks in Boota Pathri and Sonamarg in late 2024, targeting soldiers, civilians, and medical workers. Investigators have identified Hashim Musa, a known militant operative, as a prime suspect linked to multiple atrocities in the Kashmir Valley.
As Islamabad grapples with the fallout of its Defence Minister’s statement, critics argue that Pakistan’s credibility on the world stage has been irreparably damaged. No longer can its role in nurturing extremism be dismissed as political rhetoric — it is now an admission from within its own highest ranks.
The world, and especially South Asia, now faces a sobering reality: Pakistan must no longer be seen merely as a troubled neighbor. With this confession, it stands exposed as a state that systematically fosters violence, leveraging terror as a tool of policy.
Calls for tougher international action are growing. As Kashmir mourns and India demands accountability, there is mounting pressure to hold Pakistan to account — not just through words, but through decisive global measures.