ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghan foreign ministers met in Tibet on Thursday amid tensions as the foreign office clarified that the crackdown against illegal immigrants was not against a particular nationality.
As tensions deepened between the two neighbours, Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani met his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi in China’s Tibet Autonomous region. Both were there to attend an international conference.
A brief statement issued by the foreign office said the foreign minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthen bilateral ties with Afghanistan. He underscored that challenges confronting regional peace and stability be addressed in collaborative spirit through collective strategies.
No further details were provided but sources said the issue of terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan was one of the main talking points. According to sources, Foreign Minister Jilani made it clear that Afghanistan will have to fulfil its commitment to deny terrorist groups including banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) a space to operate from the neighbouring country.
Sources said the Afghan foreign minister reiterated his government’s stance claiming that Kabul would not allow anyone to use its soil against any country including Pakistan.
Islamabad, however, is far from convinced with verbal assurances of the interim Afghan government. Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent weeks because of lack of decisive action by the Afghan Taliban government against the TTP.
Pakistan this week took a series of decisions in what seems as part of its efforts to persuade the interim government to act against the TTP.
One of the decisions includes a crackdown against Afghans living in Pakistan illegally. Pakistan has given those nationals until October 31 to leave the country or face eviction.
The Afghan Taliban have rejected the move calling it ‘unacceptable’. The Taliban spokesperson denied Afghans living in Pakistan were posing a security threat to the neighbouring country. It urged Pakistan to revisit its decision.
On Thursday, Acting Defense Minister of Afghanistan Mullah Yaqub strongly criticised Pakistan’s decision, terming it as “inhumane and barbaric”. He urged Pakistani religious scholars as well as the international community to persuade Pakistan to review its decision.
He also warned that such a move by Pakistan would create tensions between the two countries.
However, at a weekly news briefing today, the foreign office spokesperson denied the impression that the crackdown against illegal immigrants was aimed at a particular nationality.
“First, Pakistan’s national policy on Afghan refugees remains unchanged. We continue to host 1.4 million Afghan refugees with exemplary generosity and empathy despite resource constraints, and economic challenges,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters.
“As the situation in Afghanistan stabilises, we believe that it is the right time to upscale international efforts to create conditions conducive to the voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees with honour and dignity,” she added.
However, the spokesperson clarified that Pakistan’s recent decision was not targeted against Afghan refugees. “The decision of the government of Pakistan is aimed at regulating illegal aliens residing in Pakistan, irrespective of their nationality. And Pakistan is well within the parameters of our sovereign domestic laws to act in this context,” she explained.
“I would also like to state that the government’s policy envisages a phased and time-bound repatriation of all illegal foreigners residing in Pakistan. These include cases of individuals who are overstaying their visas and do not possess valid documentation,” she further said.
Observers believe that the crackdown may not be aimed at particular nationality but it would impact the Afghans living illegally in Pakistan the most.
The government’s own estimates suggest that there are as many as 1.7 million Afghans, who are living in the country illegally. Pakistan has clarified that those who have valid documents and refugee status don’t need to worry.
Besides crackdown against the illegal immigrants, Pakistan also announced trade restrictions for Afghanistan.
The spokesperson defended the move, saying the Afghan transit trade facility was being misused.
She denied Pakistan banned the Afghan transit trade facility. “This information is incorrect. Pakistan, and Afghanistan bilateral trade and transit trade continue to take place,” she said.
“What Pakistan has said is that we would not accept the misuse of existing trade facilities including transit trade facilities. Any measures taken recently or to be taken in the coming days will be in accordance with this understanding,” she added.
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