Taliban calls threat of expelling Afghan immigrants from Pakistan “inacceptable”
ISLAMABAD: According to a Taliban administration spokeswoman in Kabul, Pakistan’s threat to forcibly deport illegal Afghan immigrants is “unacceptable,” and Afghans are not to blame for Pakistan’s security issues.
Pakistan’s caretaker administration on Tuesday issued an ultimatum for the 1.73 million Afghan immigrants who are believed to be living there illegally, giving them until Nov. 1 to leave or fear being expelled forcibly.
The spokesman for the Taliban government in Kabul, Zabihullah Mujahid, wrote on the social networking website X, formerly known as Twitter, “The behaviour of Pakistan towards Afghan refugees is unacceptable.”
Sarfraz Bugti, Pakistan’s interior minister, claimed that Afghan nationals were responsible for 14 of the 24 suicide bombs that took place in Pakistan this year in order to assist explain the crackdown.
That assertion was refuted by the Taliban spokesman.
“The Pakistani side needs to rethink its strategy. Pakistan’s security issues are unrelated to Afghan refugees. Pakistan ought to accept them as long as they depart voluntarily, said Mujahid.
The majority of the immigrants, who have been living in Pakistan for years, were given an ultimatum by Pakistan after civil and military leaders met to discuss the law and order situation in the wake of two suicide attacks on Friday that left at least 57 people dead. According to Bugti, one of the suicide bombers was an Afghan citizen. He also made allegations against India’s intelligence service.
Border battles this month temporarily shut down the primary commercial route between the neighbours, signalling a significant deterioration in the relationship between the Taliban and the Pakistani government.
Islamabad claims that the Taliban train fighters on Afghan soil and organise operations inside Pakistan. These charges are refuted by the Taliban, who asserts that Pakistan’s security issues are internal.
The military has been able to exercise more power as a result of the unpredictability and instability in the nation. A caretaker government was set up in August to lead Pakistan through elections anticipated in the following months.
