• “Afghanistan is not our enemy,” Aleema Khan quotes Imran Khan.
• Why are you trying to trigger a war with Muslim brothers: ex-PM.
• Defence minister hints at cross-border action against terrorists.
  

ISLAMABAD: With the government hinting at cross-border action into Afghanistan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has questioned the ruling coalition’s approach of making an enemy out of the neighbouring country.

“Afghanistan is not our enemy, why are they trying to make it our enemy? [….] Why are you trying to trigger a war with Muslim brothers,” said Aleema Khan quoting her brother while speaking to the media outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, The News reported.

Khan’s purported remarks came as the country’s civil and military leadership convened at an in-camera Parliamentary Committee on National Security in light of rising incidents of terrorism in the country — specifically in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The meeting was attended by PM Shehbaz, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI) Lieutenant General Asim Malik, chief ministers of all four provinces, and other top officials.

However, several key figures including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, NA Opposition Leader Omar Ayub and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members skipped the the high-level huddle.

The participants were briefed by the military leadership on the country’s overall security situation.

The high-level huddle comes days after last week’s harrowing attack by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants — who were in contact with their handlers in neighbouring Afghanistan — blew up train tracks and held over 440 passengers hostage in a day-long standoff with security services in a remote mountain pass in the Bolan district.

The closed-door meeting is also to be taken in the context of alarming statistics revealed in the Global Terrorism Index 2025 report which places Pakistan as the second-most affected country by terrorism.

The country, — placed at the second spot from its previously fourth position — witnessed an alarming 45% increase in terrorism-related deaths with the total rising from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024 — one of the steepest surges globally.

Apart from urging the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to prioritise action against terrorism within or originating from Afghanistan, Islamabad has signalled the possibility of cross-border operations in the neighbouring country.

“If we have to resort to hot pursuit and enter [Afghanistan] to eliminate our enemies, we will do so,” the defence czar said.

Meanwhile, Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Minister Musadik Malik said: “The government has decided to eliminate terrorists through targeted operations, intelligence-based actions, or direct combat. This decision has been made. We will take the war to the doorstep of those who are martyring our children”.