<\/p>\n
\u2022 Caretaker PM says Islamabad will not back down on deportation of illegal Afghans, tells Kabul to move against anti-Pakistan groups ISLAMABAD: As mass expulsion of Afghan nationals purportedly living without proper documentation picks up steam, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq on Wednesday pinned the recent surge in terrorist attacks on the Taliban government in Afghanistan while also calling it a reaction to the deportation drive.<\/p>\n Addressing a press conference at the Prime Minister\u2019s House before his departure to Tashkent, the caretaker premier said there was a 60 per cent increase in terrorism and a 500 per cent spike in suicide bombings since the Afghan Taliban came to power in August 2021.<\/p>\n \u2018Over 2,800 lives lost\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cPakistan in last two years has lost lives of 2,867 innocent civilians, for which TTP (the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan) that is operating from Afghanistan, is responsible,\u201d the caretaker PM said. \u201cDuring this time, 15 Afghan citizens were also among the people involved in suicide attacks. Other than this, till now, 64 Afghan citizens were killed while fighting Pakistan\u2019s law enforcement agencies during the counterterrorism campaign,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n PM Kakar went on to recall that such details were in the knowledge of the Afghan government as Pakistan had been informing it of them through visits and demarches.<\/p>\n The caretaker premier said, \u201cAfter the establishment of the interim Afghan government in August 2021, we had a strong hope that there would be long-term peace in Afghanistan. [\u2026] Strict action would be taken against Pakistan-opposing groups, especially the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, and they would not be allowed to use Afghan soil against Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n The premier said that according to a monitoring report released in July this year by the United Nations, there was \u201cclear mention of TTP centres in Afghanistan and increase in its activities against Pakistan\u201d.<\/p>\n He said despite reassurances from the Afghan government of taking action against TTP, \u201cno actions were taken against the anti-Pakistan groups\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead, in a few instances, clear evidence of enabling terrorism also came forward,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n PM Kakar asked Kabul to hand over Pakistani nationals residing in Afghanistan who were involved in terrorism in Pakistan.<\/p>\n The Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 after a lightning sweep that ended in Kabul as government forces, trained for years and equipped by the United States and others at a cost of trillions of dollars, melted away.<\/p>\n It may be mentioned that then-prime minister Imran Khan had compared the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban to \u2018breaking the chains of slavery\u2019 while ex-spymaster retired Lt Gen Faiz Hameed visited the Afghanistan capital right after their victory. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, everything will be okay,\u201d the ISI chief had told the reporter with a smile.<\/p>\n Answering a question about whether the surge in terrorism was a reaction to the drive against \u2018illegal immigrants\u2019, the PM said, \u201cWe have serious concerns regarding this but sometimes intelligence assessments are for public consumption and sometimes not. But we are vigilant and reviewing all aspects and committed not to reverse the policy.\u201d<\/p>\n His statement comes after the country witnessed a sharp rise in terror incidents during the past week wherein almost two dozen troops were martyred in ambushes and intelligence-based operations.<\/p>\n Deportation drive<\/strong><\/p>\n PM Kakar stated that the ongoing countrywide deportation drive was a step taken by Pakistan \u201cto correct its interior matters itself\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cPakistan has full legal and ethical right to send back foreigners residing in the country illegally,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The prime minister stated that there were 1.4 million Afghan refugees currently residing in the country who were registered via the \u2018Proof of Residence\u2019 card while the government registered another 0.8m under the Afghan citizen card, adding that they would not be deported. There are reports that those with valid proof identity were also being deported by the authorities.<\/p>\n PM Kakar termed the statements made by Afghan leaders criticising the deportation drive as \u201cunnecessary, irresponsible, misleading and threatening\u201d, adding that they were \u201cupsetting\u201d.<\/p>\n Responding to questions, PM Kakar said around 252,000 illegal immigrants have returned to their country, terming it a \u201csign that the policy would be implemented successfully. The premier hoped that the relations between the two countries would improve following this drive as the leaders would know \u201cwhat expectations should be kept\u201d.<\/p>\n Leftover US weapons<\/strong><\/p>\n Responding to a question about leftover ammunition of US forces who had left Afghanistan, the PM said there was no clue about the ammunition that was in the possession of the Afghan military comprising 150,000 personnel, and which just \u201cdisappeared\u201d after the US withdrawal.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, when the US State Department\u2019s principal deputy spokesperson, Vedant Patel, was asked to comment on the US counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan and the reports of American weapons allegedly used in the Mianwali air base attack, he said: \u201cWe are aware of the reports of multiple attacks on Pakistani security forces and facilities earlier in November and we offer our condolences to the families of the victims, but I want to be very clear about this: There was no equipment left behind by American forces during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.\u201d<\/p>\n On the status of Afghans who fled to Pakistan after the Taliban took over and awaited relocation to the US and Western countries under the US Special Visa Immigration (SIV) scheme, PM Kakar said Pakistan was in touch with the countries of their destination and had the necessary database about them. \u201cThey are on temporary\u2026 We have no objections, but we want the countries of their destination to ensure a timeline for their relocation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2023<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" AFGHAN refugees arrive on trucks to cross the Chaman border, on Wednesday.\u2014AFP \u2022 Caretaker PM says Islamabad will not back down on deportation of illegal Afghans, tells Kabul to move against anti-Pakistan groups\u2022 Says 60pc rise in terror incidents in two years, TTP havens in neighbouring country to blame\u2022 Terms Afghan leaders\u2019 remarks on deportation 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\u2022 Says 60pc rise in terror incidents in two years, TTP havens in neighbouring country to blame
\u2022 Terms Afghan leaders\u2019 remarks on deportation \u2018irresponsible\u2019, \u2018threatening\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n