‘Treated Worse Than Toilet Paper’: Khawaja Asif Makes Explosive Claims on US-Pakistan Ties

New Delhi: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif made explosive remarks in the National Assembly, openly criticising the country’s past alignment with the United States and admitting that key military decisions had long-term consequences for the nation.

During his speech, Asif said Pakistan had been used for strategic purposes and later abandoned.

“Pakistan was treated worse than a piece of toilet paper and then thrown away, but we did not learn from it,” he said. 

His comments came in the context of Pakistan’s role in the Afghan wars and its post-9/11 partnership with Washington.

'War of superpowers': Pakistan’s role in Afghan

Asif acknowledged that Pakistan participated in two major wars fought on Afghan soil and said those decisions were not made in the country’s genuine national interest.

“We have become a team in two wars that were fought on the soil of Afghanistan,” he said.

Referring to the Soviet invasion period and later developments, he added that Pakistan’s involvement was not driven by religious motivations.

“We did not participate in those two wars for Islam or for the love of religion. It was a war of superpowers,” Asif stated.

He blamed two former military rulers, General Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf, for aligning Pakistan with foreign powers.

“Both dictators wanted legitimacy, but they wanted the support of a superpower,” he said.

Terrorism as ‘blowback’

Asif linked Pakistan’s ongoing terrorism challenges to past policy decisions.

“Why is there terrorism in our country? This is a blowback. Terrorism is a blowback of the mistakes committed by dictators in the past,” he said.

He stressed that acknowledging past errors was necessary for national correction.

“We deny our history and do not accept our mistakes. If we want to absolve ourselves of past mistakes, then let’s make a confession,” he said.

Calling the consequences severe and lasting, Asif stated, “The losses we suffered can never be compensated,” and described the mistakes as “irreversible.”

Concluding his remarks, Asif urged the country to reconnect with its foundational principles and soil.

He emphasised that Pakistan must acknowledge its historical decisions at a national level rather than treating them as partisan issues.

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