Defense Minister Khawaja Asif Says 9/11 Perpetrators Unknown, No Afghan, Pashtun, or Hazara Involvement

Islamabad (Qudrat Daily): Federal Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated that the individuals responsible for the 9/11 attacks have still not been identified. He emphasized that neither Afghans, Pashtuns, nor Hazaras were involved in the tragedy, but Pakistan ended up fighting proxy wars in its aftermath and was later used and abandoned.

Speaking during a National Assembly session, Khawaja Asif remarked that he largely agreed with opposition leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s observations. He recalled a time when there were no visas between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and travel was allowed with permits; he himself had traveled to Afghanistan without a visa.

The defense minister added that Pakistan became a party to two wars on Afghan soil, initiated by the invitation of Russia, against which there was no declared jihad.

He further criticized the post-9/11 consequences, saying that Pakistan’s curriculum and historical perspective were altered, and although the country was abandoned by the Americans, it failed to learn from the experience. Khawaja Asif stated that while Afghanistan did not orchestrate 9/11, Pakistan continued to fight proxy wars, with one leader turning the country into America’s frontline state to please the U.S.