Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's defence minister, has made outrageous claims, saying Kabul is helping New Delhi incite terror in his nation. Additionally, Asif threatened to respond with a "50 times stronger" force if Kabul attacked Islamabad. On 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath,' the primetime program on Geo News, he made a harsh statement criticising Afghan negotiators for repeatedly reversing course on the peace agreement. The comments followed the sharp breakdown of peace negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul.

"Whenever we got close to an agreement—either in the last four days or last week—when negotiators reported to Kabul, then there was intervention and the agreement was withdrawn," Asif explained to Dawn. "I think there was sabotage of the negotiations. After we reached an agreement, they called Kabul and renounced the arrangement.
Similar claims made by Islamabad had already been rejected by Kabul as unfounded.
Despite this, the Pakistani minister focused his sights on the Kabul leadership and praised the Afghan negotiators for their cooperation.

He claimed that New Delhi was in control of Kabul, using the traditional Islamabad toolset to try to change the story. "I would compliment their delegation, but the people in Kabul pulling the strings and staging the puppet show are being controlled by Delhi," he stated.
"India is using Kabul to make up for its loss on their western border. According to Asif, there are parts of the Afghan junta that have travelled to India and seen their temples. "India wants to fight Pakistan in a low-intensity conflict. They are using Kabul to do this.
Asif threatened a more robust response to Afghanistan's threats and a potential attack on Islamabad.

"We will tear Afghanistan's eyeballs out if they dare glance at Islamabad. They have the ability and already do use terrorists. They have been using terrorists for the last four years," he claimed.
"There is no question that Kabul is to blame for Pakistan's terrorism. Delhi uses Kabul as a tool. God forbid they strike Islamabad, but we will respond appropriately if they do. "A fifty-fold more robust response," the Defence Minister continued.
Mohammad Yaqoob, Afghanistan's defence minister, had earlier referred to Pakistan's charges as "unfounded and illogical" and emphasised that Afghanistan continues to preserve its relationship with India as an independent country.

Peace Talks Between Pakistan and Afghanistan
Asif threatened to launch an open war if the peace negotiations failed as Pakistan and Afghanistan started the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Saturday, October 25. The peace negotiations facilitated by Qatari and Turkish mediators did not succeed.
Pakistan's first public acknowledgement that it had a deal with the United States that allows drone missions from its territory seems to have been the direct cause. The Afghan side was incensed by Pakistani officials' insistence that the agreement "cannot be broken" and requested guarantees that Pakistan would not permit US drones to infringe on Afghan airspace.

According to Afghan sources, "reciprocal action" will be taken in response to any further Pakistani strikes, meaning that "Islamabad will be targeted" if Afghan territory is destroyed.