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Volatile Afghan situation is out of Islamabad’s control: Pakistan’s NSA
Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf has expressed concern over the worsening situation in Afghanistan, terming it “extremely bad and out of Pakistan’s control”.
Briefing the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on Friday, he warned of an impending risk of an attack by Tehreek-i-Taliban, who, he said, could enter Pakistan from Afghanistan disguised as refugees.
The national security adviser stressed that the UN Refugee Agency needed to set up camps for Afghan refugees.
According to Pakistan’s Dawn News, Yusuf however, denied the presence of the Taliban in Pakistan and said the reports were “Indian propaganda”.
Yusuf said Pakistan was very concerned about the changing situation following the US troop withdrawal and that his country would be adversely affected by the growing violence.
“The region’s peace is conditional on peace in Afghanistan,” he said.
Yusuf further said that the Afghan government needed to work on improving relations with Pakistan if it wanted peace in the country, Dawn News reported.
“[Also], I don’t see the US offering a financial package to Afghanistan and in that case, only Pakistan can provide a trade route to the landlocked country,” he said.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also briefed the committee, saying that Pakistan intended to suggest power sharing in Afghanistan to avoid civil war.
He added that in case of a civil war in Afghanistan, Pakistan would not be able to handle the influx of refugees.
The foreign minister said Taliban objected to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s participation in negotiations, adding that they were “intelligent and had grown wise” over time, Dawn News reported. He added that Taliban had changed after Doha talks.
He warned that in case the situation in “Afghanistan goes back to what it was in the 1990s”, Pakistan would have to deal with a refugee influx.
In this regard, he said, Pakistan would be monitoring illegal border crossings and was also fencing its borders.
“We have to manage things in a better manner to control terrorism,” the minister remarked.
Qureshi added that he, the prime minister and security officials had had meetings with the Uzbeks, Tajiks and Hazaras so as to make it clear to them that “there is no favourite in Afghanistan”.
“We want to play the role of a good neighbour and are not thinking about strategic depth [in Afghanistan],” he said. “Our policy on Afghanistan is clear. We want peace and stability in the country and not repeat our mistakes.”
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Pakistan to repatriate nearly 20,000 Afghans awaiting US resettlement
Authorities will also share verified data of the affected individuals with relevant departments to support implementation.
Pakistan will repatriate nearly 20,000 Afghan nationals currently awaiting resettlement in the United States, The Nation reported, citing official sources.
The move affects 19,973 Afghans living across Pakistan.
A federal directive will instruct provincial chief secretaries and police chiefs in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Islamabad Capital Territory to begin the repatriation process immediately.
Authorities will also share verified data of the affected individuals with relevant departments to support implementation.
Following the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in 2021, more than 100,000 Afghans fled to Pakistan, many of whom had worked with the US and UK governments, international organizations, or aid agencies.
Thousands have remained stranded in Pakistan for over four years while awaiting US resettlement clearance.
Prospects for relocation have dimmed amid a suspension of case processing by the US administration, according to The Nation.
Under Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP), all Afghan nationals still awaiting US relocation will now be returned to Afghanistan.
Terrorist activities continue to be observed along Afghanistan borders and along the India–Pakistan–Afghanistan corridor, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Monday.
Speaking to Russia-based media outlet TV BRICS, Lavrov pointed to ongoing concerns in the Middle East, including its Asian regions.
He highlighted the importance of collaboration with India at the United Nations to advance a global counter-terrorism convention.
Lavrov stated that while the draft convention has already been prepared, consensus on its adoption has not yet been reached.
Russia has repeatedly expressed concern about militant threats from Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has dismissed the concerns saying that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against any country.
Noorullah Noori, Afghanistan’s Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, held a phone conversation with Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, to discuss bilateral border cooperation.
According to the Iranian news agency IRNA, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening border collaboration, with a particular focus on the ongoing renovation and updating of border markers. They also agreed to accelerate joint technical and legal meetings to enhance coordination.
As part of the agreement, the next meeting of senior border officials from Afghanistan and Iran is scheduled to take place in Iran in 1405 (2026–2027).
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Pakistan to repatriate nearly 20,000 Afghans awaiting US resettlement
Terrorist activities observed along Afghanistan borders, says Lavrov
Afghan border minister holds phone talks with Iran’s deputy foreign minister
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Afghanistan–China joint market opens in Kabul
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