Claim: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif visited Afghanistan in 2023 to discuss the resettlement of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Pakistan again, as per an Express Tribune article.
Fact: The article clearly states that Asif went to discuss TTP’s resettlement inside Afghanistan, not Pakistan.
On 5 October 2026, a Facebook account named Junaid Akbar Khan shared a screenshot of an article by The Express Tribune, dated 4 March 2023. The user circled the title of the report, “Pakistan, Afghan Taliban discuss ‘TTP resettlement plan’” and wrote in the caption:
“خواجہ آصف صاحب بتانا پسند کریں گے کہ بحیثیت وزیرِ دفاع آپ اُنہیں واپس لانے کے لیے کیوں گئے تھے؟ طالبان سے مذاکرات کے لیے جو جرگہ بھیجا گیا تھا، اُن کی فہرست جاری کی جائے کہ اُن میں پاکستان تحریکِ انصاف سے کون کون شامل تھا اور انہیں کس کے کہنے پر طالبان سے مذاکرات اور دوبارہ بسانے کے لیے بھیجا گیا تھا؟”
Translation: [“Would Khawaja Asif care to explain why, in his capacity as Defense Minister, he went to bring them back? The list of the *jirga* sent to negotiate with the Taliban should be made public—specifically, who from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was included in it, and at whose behest were they sent to negotiate with the Taliban and facilitate their resettlement?
The claim surfaced after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif took to his X account on 5 October 2026 to accuse Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of “facilitating terrorism” after dialogue between the government and opposition failed.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check searched for the ET article mentioned in the post to read the complete details of Asif’s trip to Afghanistan in 2023.
On 22 February 2023, the federal minister led a Pakistani delegation to Kabul, with Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt General Nadeem Anjum, Foreign Secretary Asad Majid and Special envoy on Afghanistan Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq. The convoy made the visit following two major attacks by TTP on the Peshawar Police Lines and Karachi Police Office.
The Pakistani delegation discussed their concerns regarding the rising terror attack with the senior leadership of the interim Afghan government, including Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Beradar Akhund and Defence Minister Mawlavi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid.
A statement by the foreign ministry on the same day reads, “Matters relating to the growing threat of terrorism in the region, particularly by TTP and ISKP came under discussion. The two sides agreed to collaborate to effectively address the threat of terrorism posed by various entities and organizations. Both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields to further enhance the fraternal relations between the two countries.”
The article under investigation, dated 4 March 2023, is a follow-up report where the outlet quoted sources privy to the matter saying that the two delegations discussed a “resettlement plan” for TTP. While the title itself did not specify the location of the proscribed organisation’s purported relocation, an excerpt in the article clearly mentioned that the two parties discussed a plan to settle TTP members “inside Afghanistan.” A passage from the report reads:
“Sensing the Pakistani position, the Afghan Taliban proposed a new plan that envisaged disarming the TTP and relocating their members from the border areas. Unlike the previous plans, the TTP members will be resettled inside Afghanistan.”
We can therefore conclude that the claim under investigation is false as the article referenced in the post clearly stated that the delegation led by Asif discussed a resettlement plan for TTP inside Afghanistan, not Pakistan.
Virality
Soch Fact Check first came across a viral post on Facebook with as many as 10,800 likes and 4,100 shares.
It gained an additional 970 likes and 106 shares after former deputy speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Khan Suri also shared the post by The Express Tribune with no context.
Conclusion: Social media posts inaccurately referenced an old article by The Express Tribune, from March 2023, to claim that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had visited Afghanistan to discuss a resettlement plan for TTP in Pakistan. The article specifies that the two delegations considered settling TTP inside Afghanistan instead.
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com