Sky News presenter Yalda Hakim's reaction to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in an interview went viral, leaving viewers surprised and intrigued. Yalda went on a popular podcast along with fellow journalist Richard Engel to discuss the news-gathering video where Khawaja Asif declared Pakistan harboured terrorists because it was doing "dirty work" for US and British intelligence.
Hakim told Engel in a video clip of the podcast released by Sky News through Instagram, “A lot of people wrote to me to say ‘your jaw dropped’ when he made the admission."
When Yalda Hakim questioned Asif about Pakistan's history of supporting and funding terrorists, the defense minister freely agreed that Pakistan had harbored terrorist organizations. He said this was because Pakistan was involved in US-led efforts to contain the Soviet Russia, which had invaded Afghanistan in the late 1980s, just before it collapsed.
Asif added that during the three decades that it was harboring terrorists, Pakistan was performing the "dirty work" for the US and British intelligence services. "Did you see my face, though?" Hakim asks Engel in referring to the moment.
Engel's response to this was, “It is interesting, you know when they say journalism is the first draft of history… It is nice, when you get a first draft of history".
“When you get a senior official saying ‘ yes, we did this’ and I think it came out inadvertently, because you were talking about current events and they said we did this at the behest of the CIA and British intelligence".
The interview was conducted against the backdrop of the attacks on tourists in Pahalgam by terrorists trained in Pakistan, who killed 26 civilians in a deadly ambush, the majority of whom were tourists visiting Baisaran. Yojna Patel, India's deputy permanent representative to the UN, stated on Monday that the admission did not come as a surprise and revealed Pakistan to be a "rogue state" that has been supporting international terrorism.
“It is unfortunate that one particular delegation has chosen to misuse and undermine this forum to indulge in propaganda and make baseless allegations against India. The whole world has heard Pakistan’s defence minister Khwaja Asif admitting and confessing Pakistan’s history of supporting, training and funding terrorist organisations in a recent television interview. This open confession surprises no one and exposes Pakistan as a rogue state fuelling global terrorism and destabilising the region. The world can no longer turn a blind eye," Yojna Patel said.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s blunt admission about deep-rooted corruption is a rare and powerful moment in Pakistan’s political landscape. His words highlight just how serious the problem has become. But talk alone won’t solve anything. What matters now is whether the government will take real action. As the country struggles with these long-standing issues, the big question is: will this bold statement spark real change, or will it just fade away as another empty promise?
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