‘Push them back to the caves’: Pakistan minister Khawaja Asif’s big warning to Afghanistan after failed peace talks

The remarks came just hours after Pakistan announced the failure of its peace talks with the Taliban government. According to news agency AFP, the recent clashes following the October 9 explosions in Kabul have killed more than 70 people and left hundreds injured.

The two sides had been holding talks in Istanbul, mediated by Qatar and Turkey.

According to a report published in the Pakistan news outlet The Dawn, Asif said, “Let me assure them that Pakistan does not require to employ even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding,” Asif declared.

When asked if Afghanistan was heading for a repeat of the 2001 Tora Bora offensive, the Pakistan minister replied in the affirmative. He added, “If they wish so, the repeat of the scenes of their rout at Tora Bora, with their tails between the legs, would surely be a spectacle to watch for the people of the region.”

For the unversed, Tora Bora was the last known hideout of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, where he was sheltered by the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks on US. The 2001 battle there killed over 200 al-Qaeda fighters, though bin Laden successfully escaped into Pakistan.

Earlier, Asif was quoted by Reuters as saying, “If no agreement takes place, we have an open war with them. But I saw that they want peace.”

Islamabad blames Taliban for failed peace efforts

While announcing the failure of ceasefire machinery between Islamabad and Kabul in Istanbul, Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar said on X, “Regrettably, the Afghan side gave no assurances, kept deviating from the core issue and resorted to blame game, deflection and ruses,” AFP reported.

He added, “The dialogue thus failed to bring about any workable solution,” he added.

Afghanistan has not commented on the development as of now.

Earlier, Asif had cautioned that “any terrorist attack or any suicide bombing inside Pakistan shall give you the bitter taste of such misadventures.”

He said Pakistan had entered talks “to give peace a chance” at the request of “brotherly countries” approached by Kabul’s rulers. However, he accused the Taliban of revealing their “devious and splintered mindset” through “venomous statements.”

Ceasefire efforts falter

The October 9 blasts in Kabul, which coincided with Afghan foreign minister Amir Muttaqi’s visit to India, triggered a series of retaliatory attacks along the border. The Taliban launched an offensive, prompting Pakistani airstrikes in response.

A 48-hour ceasefire initially agreed upon collapsed soon after, though a second truce was briefly reached on October 19 following renewed mediation in Doha.

Despite these efforts, the border has remained sealed for over two weeks, with reports of failed negotiations fuelling growing unrest on both sides.