Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has called for former Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to be questioned over the resettlement of militants in Pakistan, saying that former ISI chief Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed is already under arrest.
Asif, speaking to reporters at Parliament House on Thursday, said that terrorism is a global issue that must be tackled collectively, adding that an inquiry should first be conducted into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) failure to control terrorism.
The defence minister held the KP government accountable for the rising terrorism incidents, saying that it was focused on fighting the deposed PTI chief’s political battle instead of countering militants.
He accused the provincial government of not taking any measures to curb terrorism.
Asif asserted that Bajwa, Faiz, and PTI founder Imran Khan were responsible for bringing back terrorists to Pakistan.
“Faiz Hamid is already under arrest, but Bajwa must be questioned about why he resettled these militants.”
The scourge of terrorism continues to plague Pakistan making it the world’s second-most terrorism-affected country in 2024, as per a Global Terrorism Index 2025 report.
Pakistan — placed at the second spot from its previously fourth position — witnessed an alarming 45% increase in terrorism-related deaths with the total rising from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024 — one of the steepest surges globally.
Commenting on Khan’s reported letter to former US President Donald Trump, Asif remarked that Pakistan’s internal letter-writing politics has now gone international. He predicted that this letter, like previous ones, would meet the same fate.
Regarding political reconciliation, he said that dialogue is only possible when the opposing side is not hostile.
He clarified that he was not speaking on behalf of the establishment, but insisted that if reconciliation was not an option, then political resistance should be pursued.
