November 13, 2025

Islamabad / New Delhi: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a fresh provocation against India, declaring that Islamabad is “fully prepared for a two-front war” — one against India on its eastern border and another against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan along the western frontier.

Speaking at a public rally, Asif claimed Pakistan was ready to face threats on both sides, adding:

“We are ready for war on two fronts. We are ready, we are prepared to face both the eastern (India) and western border (Afghanistan). Allah helped us in round one and he will help us in round two.”

His statement, widely reported by India Today and Pakistani media outlets, comes amid rising domestic turmoil following a suicide bombing in Islamabad that killed at least 12 people earlier this week. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack, deepening tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban government in Kabul.

War Rhetoric Amid Internal Turmoil

Asif’s remarks appear to be a direct attempt to project strength at a time when Pakistan faces mounting internal and regional challenges. The Islamabad suicide attack — which targeted the district courts complex — has once again exposed Pakistan’s fragile internal security situation, particularly its struggle to contain the TTP, a group that Islamabad blames on sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.

The Taliban regime in Kabul has repeatedly denied Pakistan’s accusations, insisting that Afghan soil is not being used for cross-border terrorism.

At the event, Asif also urged Pakistanis to recognise that the country was in a “state of war,” not just in its border regions but across the nation.

“Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan Army is fighting this war only in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and the remote areas of Balochistan should take today’s suicide attack as a wake-up call,” he said. “This is a war for all of Pakistan.”

Pakistan PM Blames India, India Hits Back

In a related escalation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused “Indian-sponsored terrorist proxies” of being behind the Islamabad blast — a charge India categorically denied.

Responding to the allegations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi dismissed them as “baseless and unfounded.”

“It is a predictable tactic,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. “Such remarks from an obviously delirious Pakistani leadership do not merit serious attention.”

Indian officials described Asif’s two-front war rhetoric as an “attempt to divert attention from Pakistan’s deteriorating security and economic crisis.”

Context: TTP Resurgence and Border Strain

Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in terrorist attacks over the past year, many claimed by the TTP, which has regrouped after the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Islamabad’s military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have failed to fully dismantle the group’s presence.

Meanwhile, relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have steadily deteriorated, with both sides accusing the other of harbouring militants. Skirmishes along the Durand Line border have become more frequent, forcing Pakistan to fortify sections of its frontier.

The renewed rhetoric against India comes at a sensitive moment, as Islamabad faces not only a domestic security crisis but also economic distress and political unrest. Analysts say the government’s aggressive posturing may be aimed at rallying public sentiment and deflecting attention from internal failures.

A Familiar Pattern

Experts note that Asif’s war talk is consistent with a pattern in Pakistan’s civil-military establishment — invoking India as an external threat to consolidate internal unity.

Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, a Pakistani defence analyst, observed that such statements “serve to project military readiness and distract from failures in governance and counterterrorism.”

“The reality is that Pakistan can barely manage one front — its western border — let alone two,” she said. “This is political theatre meant for domestic consumption.”

Outlook

India has not issued any military or diplomatic escalation following Asif’s remarks, maintaining that Pakistan’s “reckless statements” reflect desperation rather than readiness.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s security forces have reportedly launched nationwide counterterrorism raids targeting suspected TTP safehouses.

As tensions simmer both within Pakistan and along its borders, Asif’s comments underline Islamabad’s precarious position — squeezed between rising extremism at home and regional isolation abroad, even as it resorts once again to war rhetoric for political survival.