Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday denounced attempts to create divisions within the Pakistan Army and its leadership, calling such efforts “deeply condemnable”.

He said that the “convicted prisoner languishing in Adiala Jail” would not be allowed under any circumstances to destabilise the country.

In a statement on X, Asif said Pakistan’s stability and existence are above personal egos and politics.

“If an individual becomes a tool for hostile forces to target the state and its institutions for personal gain, then calling such a person mentally unwell is fully justified,” he remarked.

Khawaja Asif said that the reaction shown in the DG ISPR’s press conference was the result of the continuous hatred spread by the man in Adiala Jail and his followers, which is unprecedented in the history of Pakistan.

Asif added that attempts to divide the Pakistan Army, which safeguards the nation’s ideological and territorial frontiers, would not be tolerated.

“Let it be clear: no effort that undermines national dignity, sovereignty or security will be allowed to succeed. The convict in Adiala will not be permitted to play with Pakistan’s stability,” he stated.

Kabul warned of response

Speaking separately to a private TV channel, the defence minister warned that if Afghanistan continued to send militants to carry out attacks in Pakistan, Islamabad would no longer respect the border.

“We will enter Afghanistan and respond,” he said.

He added that back-channel diplomacy had so far failed, noting that rival factions existed within the Afghan government.

Asif also said that under the leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir, India had “suffered so many setbacks that it has no choice but to cry”.

Commenting on domestic politics, Asif said that constant attacks on the military by a political party had exhausted all limits.

He referred to recent remarks by Aleema Khan and said it appeared the party founder “was not in control of himself”.

The minister further said that some individuals can do anything to gain power, adding, “If they believed even a donkey could take them to power, they would treat it as a father.”

He criticised the PTI leaders for failing to express sympathy with the nation’s martyrs.