Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has claimed that terrorism is being exported from Afghanistan into Pakistan. In a meeting held in response to recent Indian accusations regarding Islamabad’s role in a deadly attack in Kashmir, he stated that many terrorist attacks on Pakistani soil originate from Afghanistan and are accompanied by “clear Indian footprints.”

“Terrorism is being exported to Pakistan, and everything that originates from Afghanistan or happens in Balochistan clearly bears India’s fingerprints,” said Asif.

He emphasized that Pakistan is prepared to defend itself against any external threat, including terrorism.

He also claimed that Pakistan has been on the front lines of the fight against terrorism for years.

However, following this meeting, Asif admitted in an interview with a British media outlet that successive Pakistani governments have supported terrorist groups over the past three decades.

Following a deadly attack on tourists in the Pahalgam region of Indian-administered Kashmir, 26 tourists were killed and 17 others injured.

Meanwhile, experts believe that Afghanistan’s interests should be kept away from regional conflicts, and that the Islamic Emirate should not allow Afghanistan to become a battleground for a proxy war between India and Pakistan.

So far, the Islamic Emirate has not commented on Khawaja Asif’s remarks, but it had previously linked insecurity in Pakistan to internal issues within that country.

IEA has repeatedly emphasized that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against any other country.

Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior Affairs Talal Chaudhry has confirmed that Pakistan has set a June 30 deadline for registered Afghan nationals, including Proof of Registration (PoR) holders, to voluntarily return to Afghanistan.

“After this, he said that formal deportation procedures will begin. Afghan refugees were and remain our guests. They are being sent back with full dignity and respect,” he told Geo News.

Pakistan is currently deporting illegal immigrants and Afghan Citizen Card holders, with thousands returning to their country daily.

Meanwhile, UNHCR’s spokesperson Qaisar Khan Afridi stressed that deportations must be voluntary, not forced.

Afridi also highlighted that the UNHCR has received complaints of arrests in parts of Punjab, even involving some documented Afghan refugees.

However, Chaudhry categorically denied such incidents, stating that no such case has been officially reported and that previous allegations turned out to be fake news upon verification.

He clarified that Afghan refugees who fail to leave within the stated deadlines are not immediately deported, but are first notified, and then taken to refugee holding centres where they are provided food, shelter, security, medical aid and travel facility.

“This is a structured, humane process. There is no chaos. Our hospitality has always been there for Afghan citizens,” Chaudhry emphasised.

With Pakistan suspending all trade with India, including to and from any third country through its territory, Afghanistan’s trade with India via the Attari-Wagah border has also come to a halt.

The latest tension between Pakistan and India was triggered by the killing of 26 men at a popular tourist destination in Indian Kashmir on Tuesday, in the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai shootings.

Hindustan Times said on Friday that suspension of trade will affect the local economy, especially small traders and industries, whose livelihood largely depends on this trade.

Located around 28 kms from Amritsar city, this is the only permissible land route allowed for trade between India and Pakistan and crucial for imports from Afghanistan, according to the newspaper.

In August 2019, when India revoked Kashmir’s special status, Pakistan ceased all trade relations with India. The neighbouring country also barred India from exporting goods to Afghanistan, though the import of Afghan goods, such as dry fruits, remained normal, even after the Islamic Emirate took control over the country.