Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Asif has faced criticism on social media over a gesture he made while responding to an Afghan woman journalist who questioned him about Pakistan’s ties with the Taliban and its position on the treatment of Afghan women.
“What’s your message to the Taliban now? To change their policy towards Afghan women? Asif interrupted her and did not directly answer the question. They will… otherwise they will..,” while moving his hand across his neck.
Why at the beginning, Pakistan didn’t teach them that,” the journalist asked, according to a purported video of the incident shared on social media. He then pointed towards her attire and said, “Don’t go back like this over there.
“In this criminal aggression, four of our fellow Afghan compatriots have been martyred.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said four Afghans were killed in what he described as the latest “criminal aggression”. 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,” Mujahid said.
Information Minister Atauallah Tarar said the strikes were conducted in response to drones launched from Afghanistan a day earlier. Users also criticised Asif and the men beside him for laughing after his remarks. Pakistan on early Thursday carried out what it described as precision aerial and drone strikes at 10 locations across Afghanistan.
They said the journalist had raised a serious question about the Taliban’s policies towards Afghan women and Pakistan’s position on them. Tarar said the targets were locations allegedly used to launch and store drones, according to Dawn. He described the strikes as “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate and strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan”.
