In a big confession, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif openly admitted that the United States used Pakistan for its own strategic goals and then discarded it “worse than toilet paper.” While speaking in the parliament, Asif tore them apart, calling Pakistan’s alignment with Washington a grave mistake that left the country weakened and unstable.
Asif's big reveal on Afghanistan
Asif said Pakistan’s decision to side with the US after 1999, especially in the Afghanistan conflict, caused deep and lasting damage. He admitted that the country allowed itself to be dragged into wars that were never truly its own.
He rejected the long-standing claim that Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan was based on religious duty. According to him, people were mobilised in the name of “jihad” under a misleading narrative that only fueled extremism and chaos inside Pakistan. In a striking revelation, the minister said even Pakistan’s education system was altered to support these wars.
He acknowledged that ideological changes were introduced to justify involvement in conflicts driven by foreign interests. He made it clear that the anti-Soviet war in the 1980s was not about religion, but about American geopolitical goals. Yet Pakistan paid the price, both socially and economically.
Blame on military rulers
Asif did not spare former military leaders either. He accused General Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf of tying Pakistan to external wars for short-term gains, leaving the country to deal with terrorism, radicalisation and economic damage long after global powers moved on.
After 9/11, Pakistan turned against the Taliban to back the US war on terror. But when Washington eventually withdrew from Afghanistan, Pakistan was left struggling with violence and instability.
‘Irreversible damage’ and a bitter realisation
“The losses we suffered can never be compensated,” said Asif, describing those decisions as irreversible errors. His words reflected a harsh truth: Pakistan allowed itself to become a pawn in global power politics.
