New Delhi: In a major public admission regarding state-sponsored terrorism, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has described terror outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) as “unguided missiles” that have slipped out of the country’s control.
Speaking on a podcast hosted by Pakistan’s HUM News network, Asif acknowledged that these militant groups, once cultivated as strategic assets, have now become a grave internal threat to Pakistan. He warned that if unchecked, the situation could reduce the country to a state of chaos similar to Syria or Iraq.
When questioned by journalist Zahid Gishkori about whether Pakistan banned LeT and JeM merely due to Indian pressure, Asif firmly defended the classification of these groups as terrorist organisations. Drawing a sharp contrast, he pointed out that humanitarian organisations like the Edhi Foundation or the Saylani Welfare Trust in Karachi are not branded as terror outfits because they genuinely serve the public.
“These people take up arms and change their appearances. Sometimes they start fighting America’s war, sometimes their own, and sometimes someone else’s,” Asif stated, characterising the terror groups as “franchises” of violence.
The Defence Minister expressed deep concern over the impact these groups have on the nation’s stability and the authority of its armed forces. “Look at what happened to Syria, what happened to Iraq. God forbid we face the same fate. They diminish the strength of your army,” he warned.
Concluding his candid remarks, Asif stated unequivocally, “We do not need these militias. They are unguided missiles and are under nobody’s control. The last 40 to 50 years of Pakistan’s history have proven this.”
The podcast, which originally aired on September 15, has triggered widespread reactions on social media, with many pointing out that this marks a rare instance of a sitting Pakistani minister publicly corroborating long-standing international concerns regarding the country’s terror infrastructure.