Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan does not want armed conflict with neighbouring Afghanistan, stressing that using force was the last option.

The defence minister, in an interview with Voice of America on Wednesday, stated that Pakistan might block the trade corridor it gave to Afghanistan for trading with India. He added that Pakistan had the right to stop helping Kabul if it didn’t control terrorists against Pakistan who were active in Afghanistan.

“If Afghanistan treats us like an enemy, then why should we give them a trade corridor?” Asif said.

He passed the remarks after Pakistan launched intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations in the border regions in response to several terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

However, Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Taliban administration, said in a statement that “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not allow anyone to compromise security by using Afghan territory.”