In a moment that has stunned global observers and exposed Pakistan’s long-denied duplicity, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has admitted what India and several other countries have been asserting for decades that Pakistan has been complicit in supporting, training, and funding terrorist organisations. The statement, made in an interview with Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim, is nothing short of a diplomatic earthquake. “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades… and the West, including Britain,” Asif said, almost casually, while responding to a question on Pakistan’s role in backing terror. “That was a mistake, and we suffered for that,” he added, an astonishingly feeble justification for years of nurturing Islamist forces that destabilised the region.
This so-called “dirty work” cost thousands of innocent lives, shattered communities, and stifled the democratic aspirations of nations like Afghanistan and India. For decades, Pakistan has denied its involvement in cross-border terrorism despite mounting evidence now, the truth is out of the bag from none other than the horse’s mouth. India has long highlighted Pakistan’s double game claiming to be a victim of terrorism while nurturing the very groups responsible for mass casualties in India, Afghanistan, and beyond. The admission of Khawaja Asif now gives credence to India’s longstanding allegations and puts Pakistan in a corner diplomatically.
#Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif admits on live TV that they have been sponsoring terrorism against India for past three decades.
Sky News (@SkyYaldaHakim): “But you do admit, you do admit sir, that Pakistan has had a long history of backing and supporting and training… pic.twitter.com/rT7LYzhnDr
— Sanjay Madrasi Pandey | Ex-Reuters | Ex-Telegraph (@SMPinational) April 25, 2025
The recent Islamist attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 innocent civilians, has once again exposed the brutality of Pakistan-backed elements. In the wake of this horrific incident, India’s response has been swift and decisive. The Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, traced the cross-border linkages of the attack and moved quickly to send a strong diplomatic message. Among the bold moves was the suspension of the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme for Pakistani nationals and the closure of the Attari Integrated Check Post.
More significantly, India has also halted the Indus Waters Treaty an agreement signed in 1960. For New Delhi to put this foundational treaty on pause signifies not just a diplomatic statement, but a strategic one. Pakistan can no longer expect the benefits of bilateral pacts while simultaneously fostering terror networks that bleed India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolute words have set the tone for the country’s future response: “The time has come to eliminate the remaining strongholds of terrorism. The willpower of 140 crore Indians will now break the backbone of the perpetrators of terror.”
Khawaja Asif’s warnings of an “all-out war” with India come off as hollow threats from a regime cornered by its own lies and increasingly isolated on the world stage. The global community must now act. Silence or appeasement is no longer an option. Countries that continue to fund or protect terror-exporting regimes must be held accountable. The mask has fallen. Pakistan stands exposed not as a victim, but as a perpetrator. The world is watching, and this time, the excuse of “strategic depth” will not shield Islamabad from global condemnation and the consequences of its own dangerous games.
