Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Asim Munir once linked Pakistan’s recent measures towards Afghanistan to a video showing an Afghan trader burning Pakistani currency in Kabul, journalist Sumaira Khan has claimed. 

 

Recounting a discussion she held with the head of the army, Khan said in an interview with a private media outlet that the Field Marshal referred to a video sent to him in which an Afghan trader was seen setting Pakistani currency, locally referred to as “Kaaldar” on fire while speaking in Pashto. 

 

She said a translation of the clip indicated the trader was claiming the Afghan currency was not even equal to the dust of Pakistani currency.

 

“'Then I took this decision. I told my Corps Commanders that the life of one Pakistani is worth more than the entire case of Afghanistan," she quoted him as saying.

 

Khan said he described the move as part of a broader set of measures introduced since 2023, including Afghan refugee repatriation and anti-smuggling actions.

 

“I spent a lot of time on this. I also showed respect and always considered Afghanistan a brotherly country,” he was quoted as saying.

 

He added that despite the measures, the approach has remained consistent at the institutional level.

 

“Since 2023, when we started all the measures for hardening of the state, Pakistan’s policy has not changed,” Sumaira quoted him as saying, adding that “it doesn’t matter who is in charge at the top” as the institution continues its policy.

 

Pakistan-Afghanistan ties have remained strained in recent years, with Islamabad repeatedly raising concerns over cross-border terrorism and security issues. 

 

The remarks also come in the backdrop of ongoing enforcement actions, including Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq, which authorities have linked to efforts aimed at addressing security challenges and tightening control measures.