Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has delivered a candid and damning critique of his country's historical alliances with the United States, likening Islamabad's treatment to that of discarded toilet paper.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Asif described how Pakistan was exploited for American strategic interests, particularly after the 1999 military coup and the 11 September 2001 attacks, only to be abandoned once objectives were achieved.

Asif reflected on the post-1999 realignment with Washington, which intensified following the 9/11 attacks. He asserted that the costs to Pakistan were devastating, leaving the nation to bear the brunt of violence, radicalisation, and economic hardship long after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"Pakistan was treated worse than a piece of toilet paper and was used for a purpose and then thrown away," Asif stated bluntly. This vivid metaphor underscores his view that Islamabad served as a disposable tool in America's War on Terror, with little regard for the fallout.

The minister highlighted Pakistan's role in the US-led Afghan war post-2001, where it turned against the Taliban. While the United States eventually exited the region, Pakistan remained mired in the consequences, including terrorism that Asif now labels as direct blowback.

Asif challenged longstanding official narratives, admitting that Pakistan's involvement in two Afghan wars was a profound mistake. He rejected claims that these engagements were driven by religious duty, insisting they stemmed from the agendas of military dictators.

He singled out two former leaders—Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf—for joining the Afghan conflicts not for Islam, but to curry favour with a superpower. "We deny our history and do not accept our mistakes," Asif lamented, calling terrorism the inevitable repercussion of these dictatorial errors.

The Defence Minister revealed how Pakistanis were dispatched to fight under the guise of jihad, a framing he deems misleading and destructive. This policy, he argued, reshaped the nation's education system, embedding ideological changes that persist to this day.

Asif described these losses as irreversible and uncompensable, urging a reckoning with the past. His speech marks one of the starkest public admissions from a senior Pakistani official on the terror history that Islamabad has long downplayed.

By owning up to these errors, Asif appears to deflect from current accusations levelled against Pakistan, such as those from India regarding Balochistan attacks. Nonetheless, his words signal a potential shift in how Pakistan confronts its complicity in regional instability.

This admission comes amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, with Pakistan grappling with internal security challenges and strained relations with neighbours. Asif's candour may reshape domestic discourse on foreign policy, though it risks reigniting debates over accountability for past regimes.

Based On NDTV Report