Pak Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s threat-like gesture to Afghan woman who quizzes him condemned
New York : Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s threat-like gesture towards an Afghan woman journalist who questioned him about Pakistan’s ties with the Taliban and their treatment of Afghan women has been condemned on social media.
On the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the woman journalist asked Asif about Pakistan’s message to the Taliban regarding their policies towards Afghan women and why Pakistan did not challenge those policies from the beginning when the Taliban were considered friends.
“What’s your message to the Taliban now? To change their policy towards Afghan women? Why at the beginning, Pakistan didn’t teach them that,” the journalist asked, according to the video of the incident on the social media.
Asif interrupted her, did not answer her question and pointed towards her attire. “Don’t go back like this over there. They will… otherwise they will..,” he said, taking his hand across his neck.
The response was strongly condemned with social media users saying the gesture by Pak Minister across his throat clearly implied that she could be killed if she returned to Afghanistan.
The social media users also condemned the laughter of Asif and men beside him following his remarks.
They said that the journalist had asked a serious question about the Taliban’s policies towards Afghan women and Pakistan’s position on them, and criticised gesture implying threat of death.
Pakistan on early Thursday carried out what it described as precision aerial and drone strikes at 10 locations across Afghanistan, Dawn reported, citing Federal Information Minister Atauallah Tarar.
According to Dawn, Tarar, in a post on X, said that the latest strikes were conducted in response to drones launched from Afghanistan a day earlier. He said the targets were locations allegedly used for launching and storing the drones.
He added that the strikes were “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate and strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan”.
Afghanistan has warned Pakistan of “dire consequences” over its actions terming these as blatant aggression.
“In this criminal aggression, four of our fellow Afghan compatriots have been martyred. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns these blind and cowardly attacks in the harshest terms, considering them a flagrant violation of all principles, a blatant aggression, and a crime,” Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said.
There have been continuing cross-border hostilities between the two neighbouring countries with Pakistan resorting to military action including aerial strikes.
