Islamabad, Mar 19 (PTI) Pakistan on Tuesday revealed that two officer-rank Afghan nationals serving in the army were among those expelled from the country under its drive against illegal immigrants.
The revelation comes a day after tension flared between Islamabad and Kabul following overnight raids by the Pakistan Air Force targeted at armed groups hiding out in border regions that saw eight women and children dead.
Pakistan has witnessed a series of terror attacks and has openly said it suspects the involvement of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a splinter group of Afghan Taliban. The country has repeatedly urged the Afghan government to take action against the TTP and its affiliates.
On the other hand, since October 31 last year, Pakistan has embarked on a drive to oust the illegal Afghan settlers in the country.
Speaking to a private TV channel, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif maintained that no further influx from Afghanistan has occurred at the state level, however, infiltration attempts by militants occur from time to time.
According to The Express Tribune newspaper, the defence minister emphasised the porous nature of the Pak-Afghan border, highlighting the ease with which individuals can cross into Pakistani territory, obtain legal documentation, and even be recruited into the armed forces.
“As the minister of defence, I signed two or three files in which Afghan recruits were discharged, one of them was a Captain and one was a Lieutenant,” Asif said.
Referring to terrorists affiliated with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan, Asif said the vast majority reside in Afghanistan while 3,000-4,000 militants were brought to Pakistan for ‘resettlement’ during the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
“We also briefed the National Assembly on the issue,” he said.
Stressing the need to address the issue collaboratively with the Afghan government, the minister cited a visit to Kabul during the previous tenure of his party, where the involvement of Afghan nationals in terrorist attacks in Pakistan was discussed and evidence was presented.
Tensions flared on Monday between Islamabad and Kabul following overnight raids by the Pakistan Air Force. Pakistan said the attack had targeted armed groups hiding out in border regions. The Taliban claimed eight women and children were killed in the strikes, which came merely days after a militant attack killed seven Pakistani soldiers, including two officers.
Afghanistan’s interim government claimed the PAF aircraft had hit the houses of “ordinary people” in Paktika and Khost provinces.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which has a long experience of freedom struggle against the superpowers of the world, does not allow anyone to invade its territory,” said Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid in a released a statement.
In the 1980s, millions of Afghans fled to neighbouring Pakistan during the Soviet occupation of their country. The numbers witnessed a spike after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
An estimated 1.7 million Afghans, including almost 1.4 million Afghans registered as refugees, had been living in Pakistan when authorities announced its nationwide crackdown, saying that anyone without proper documents had to leave the country by October 31 or else get arrested. PTI SH NPK AKJ NPK NPK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.