World News | Pak Reiterates Concern over Weapons Left by US in Afghanistan Being Used for Terror Attacks
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Pakistan on Friday reiterated its concern over the weapons left by the US in Afghanistan after hasty withdrawal in 2021.
Islamabad, Feb 28 (PTI) Pakistan on Friday reiterated its concern over the weapons left by the US in Afghanistan after hasty withdrawal in 2021.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said at the weekly briefing that those sophisticated weapons were being used by terrorists for attacks inside Pakistan.
“We have impressed upon the international community and Afghan authorities to address this issue,” he said.
The spokesperson said Pakistan looked forward to cooperative relations with Afghanistan but the presence of terrorist sanctuaries on the Afghan territory was the chief hurdle. He also vowed that Pakistan would continue to pursue these issues with the Afghan authorities.
As regards the closure of Torkham border, the spokesperson said operational constraints forced Pakistan to take this action, highlighting that the Afghan side was trying to construct a border post on the Pakistani side of the border.
He said Pakistan urged the Afghan authorities to resolve such issues through bilateral mechanisms such as Joint Coordination Committee meetings instead of resorting to unilateral actions. He hoped the matter would be resolved through dialogue.
Khan said F-16 jets' oversight programme was a regular feature of Pakistan-US defence collaboration adding that Pakistan welcomed its continuation.
“This is a robust and dense relationship, expressing Pakistan's commitment to carrying this relationship forward,” he said.
He also announced that eight Pakistanis, who were staying illegally in the US, were returned on Thursday.
Separately, The Express Tribune reported that Pakistan conveyed to the US that it would deport all Afghans awaiting resettlement in America if the deadline set for their relocation was not met or their cases were turned down.
The message was conveyed through the diplomatic channels after President Donald Trump issued an executive order suspending the Afghan refugee settlement programme for 90 days.
Thousands of Afghans, who worked for the US and other western countries during their campaign against the Afghan Taliban, fled to Pakistan and sought a temporary stay.
The US and its allies had promised special immigration visas to all such Afghans who worked for them and the previous US government had agreed to relocate all Afghans eligible for a special immigration visa by September 2025.
The process of their relocation was slow during the Biden administration while President Trump suspended the programme.
Pakistan is worried that such Afghans may never be relocated to the US given the tough anti-immigration policy being pursued by the current administration.
That was the reason that it decided to convey in unambiguous terms to the Trump administration that it would not allow these Afghans to stay in Pakistan beyond September 2025, reported the paper.
Neither side has shared the exact number of stranded Afghans in Pakistan but some estimates suggest that it is between 15,000 and 25,000.
Pakistan is contemplating to ensure repatriation of all Afghans living in the country. The campaign first was launched in October 2023 against the undocumented Afghans but the government now wants to extend this to all Afghans irrespective of their legal status.
The reason behind Pakistan's push for eviction of Afghans stems from its strained ties with the Taliban regime. PTI SH
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)