Defense Minister Khawaja Asif Responds to Opposition’s Call for Resignation After Jafar Express Attack

Islamabad: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has responded to the opposition’s demand for his resignation following the attack on the Jafar Express.

Speaking to media representatives in the Parliament House, Khawaja Asif was asked about the opposition’s claim that he was responsible for the security lapse and their call for his resignation. He replied, “If my resignation resolves the issue, I am ready. I have no objection to that.”

In a speech during a National Assembly session after the Jafar Express attack, Khawaja Asif criticized PTI, saying that while the entire nation, the United States, and the United Nations condemned the attack, no such statement had come from the founder of PTI.

PTI leader Asad Qaiser responded to Khawaja Asif’s remarks, accusing the defense minister of shifting the blame for his incompetence onto PTI.

Earlier, the opposition alliance held a joint press conference, labeling the terrorist attack on Jafar Express as a significant security lapse and demanding the resignation of the Interior Minister, Defense Minister, and Information Minister. The opposition stated that in developed countries, the heads of relevant departments would have resigned immediately after such incidents.

The terrorist attack resulted in the deaths of 26 people, including 18 soldiers. However, security forces successfully retaliated, killing all 33 terrorists involved. According to the Pakistan Army’s media wing, the terrorists were in continuous contact with their facilitators in Afghanistan during the attack, and some of them wore suicide jackets. Due to the complexity of the operation, security forces proceeded with extreme caution and successfully neutralized all the terrorists.