Islamabad: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif set off a fierce political and public debate by delivering an unusually blunt verdict on Islamabad’s past ties with Washington. Speaking in the National Assembly, he said that Islamabad was “used like toilet paper and then discarded” by the United States. He was talking about decades of security cooperation with Washington.
He made the statement during a heated parliamentary discussion on terrorism, held in the aftermath of a deadly suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Islamabad. The attack at Imambargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra in the Tarlai area killed 31 worshippers and injured 169 others during Friday prayers. Grief and anger spilled onto the streets as thousands joined funeral processions across the capital, demanding justice and stronger security.
Asif turned his focus outward and backward. He told parliament that Pakistan had repeatedly stepped into conflicts driven by global powers rather than its own strategic needs. He said the country had fought wars on Afghan soil that were never truly its own battles. He was referring to Pakistan’s involvement during the anti-Soviet war of the 1980s and later cooperation in the US-led war on terror.
“We took part in two wars that were fought on the soil of Afghanistan. These were not our wars; they were superpower wars,” he said, adding that Pakistan and its land were used and then discarded “like toilet paper”.
He argued that these backings were given in the name of religion and security partnerships. He suggested that military rulers of the past sought international legitimacy and external backing through such engagements. The long-term consequences, he indicated, returned home in the form of militancy and internal violence.
Describing terrorism as the after-effect of earlier policy decisions, the minister said Pakistan was still living with the fallout of choices made under past dictatorships. He expressed anger that the country had failed to draw lasting lessons, adding that Islamabad often shifted between major capitals in pursuit of short-term advantage.
He also recalled former US President Bill Clinton’s brief stopover in Islamabad in 2000, a visit that lasted only a few hours at the tail end of a longer India tour. He suggested that the episode showed how the relationship had become purely transactional over time. He said it was increasingly driven by American pressure on issues like democracy, militancy and Pakistan’s nuclear programme.
The parliamentary session concluded with a resolution condemning the mosque bombing and calling for national unity against terrorism. Even as lawmakers voiced solidarity with victims, Asif warned that political divisions weakened the country’s collective response. He urged leaders to build consensus on national security, saying the fight against militancy required a shared identity and common purpose.
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