Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan on Friday underlined the danger posed to regional peace by militant groups operating from Afghanistan, urging collective efforts to counter their threat.
“Groups like Fitna Al-Khwarij are a shared menace to the stability of our region and must be confronted through joint action,” Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said during a weekly media briefing. The term is used by Islamabad to describe the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
His remarks came in response to questions about reported Pakistani strikes across the border and criticism from Taliban acting Defense Minister Mullah Yaqoob, who accused Islamabad of blaming Kabul for its own security failures.
Pakistan has consistently argued that it faces cross-border attacks from groups including the TTP and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which, according to several UN reports, maintain sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.
Read More: Pakistan Sends 105 Tonnes of Aid to Quake-Hit Afghanistan
On the issue of Afghan refugees, Shafqat Ali rejected calls to suspend deportations following last week’s deadly earthquake in Afghanistan. He stressed that the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan would move forward as scheduled.
“This is our sovereign right. Anyone without legal status will be repatriated,” he said, while also urging Germany to expedite relocation of Afghans it had pledged to accept after the Taliban takeover.
Earlier this week, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi appealed to Islamabad to pause expulsions due to the humanitarian crisis. The FO, however, noted that Pakistan already has a “liberal visa regime” covering business, family, education, and medical categories, including on-arrival medical visas.
Read More: Pakistan, Afghanistan Reduce Tariffs on Eight Agricultural Products
Asked about US President Donald Trump’s criticism of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, the spokesperson avoided direct comment but highlighted the event’s focus on “multilateralism, peace, prosperity, and development.”
“The meetings were successful, and the SCO is not aimed against any country,” he maintained.
