PESHAWAR – As the Afghanistan-Pakistan War enters second week following the launch of Pakistan’s Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, Aleema Khan, sister of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has issued a public warning against what she describes as the “creation” of militant brands to justify perpetual conflict.
Speaking to displaced families from the Tirah ValleyTirah Valley, Khan’s remarks come just days after Pakistani airstrikes targeted the strategic Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, an escalation that has seen Islamabad officially declare a state of “open war” against the Taliban government in Kabul.
The ‘Pincer Movement’ on Civilians
In a video captured during her visit to border communities, Aleema Khan detailed the harrowing “catch-22” facing local residents. She argued that the Afghanistan-Pakistan War has turned innocent villagers into targets for both militants and state forces.
“The people tell me that armed men come to their doors demanding food at gunpoint,” Aleema Khan stated. “The very next day, the army arrives and asks why they provided aid. If the authorities already have the names and details of these people, why are the locals being punished? What are they supposed to do against guns?”
Militant Groups as ‘Rotating Brands’
Khan’s most provocative claim centered on the nature of regional terrorism. She suggested that groups like Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) are often treated as “brands” that are cycled through to maintain military momentum.
“Sometimes it’s Al-Qaeda, then that goes out of fashion and it’s ISIS or Daesh,” she said. “We all know these are created. The brand changes, but the war remains.”
Escalation at Bagram
The backdrop to her visit is one of the most significant military escalations in the region since 2021. On Sunday, March 1, 2026, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) conducted multiple strikes on the Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul. Satellite imagery has since confirmed the destruction of at least two large warehouses and an aircraft hangar.
Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, defended the strikes, asserting that the base was being used to coordinate attacks against Pakistani security forces. In response, the Afghan Ministry of Defense claimed to have downed several drones and launched retaliatory strikes on Pakistani Command and Control centers.
Call for Direct Dialogue
Reiterating the “categorical message” of her brother, Imran Khan—who remains in prison—Aleema Khan insisted that military operations like Ghazab lil-Haq are not a sustainable solution. She called for direct, local-level dialogue between the communities on both sides of the border.
“The only solution is for the local people of Pakistan and Afghanistan to sit together. They can handle this. But instead of dialogue, we have chosen open war,” she concluded.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported today that the latest six days of fighting in the Afghanistan-Pakistan War have resulted in at least 42 civilian deaths, with over 16,000 households displaced.
