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Pakistan’s PM claims terrorist attacks up by 60% since return of IEA
Pakistan’s Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar claimed on Wednesday that terrorist attacks in his country have increased by 60 percent in the last two years since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) reclaimed power in August 2021.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Kakar said that the ongoing deportation of “illegal immigrants” is connected to counter-terrorism activities.
He said that Pakistan had hoped that Afghan soil would not be used for terror activities against Pakistan after the establishment of the interim Afghan government in August 2021, and that the IEA would bring long-term peace to the neighboring country, Express Tribune reported.
“[We had hoped] strict action would be taken against Pakistan-opposing groups, especially the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, and they would absolutely not be allowed to use Afghan soil against Pakistan,” said Kakar.
“But unfortunately, after the establishment of the interim Afghan government, there has been a 60 percent increase in terror incidents and a 500 percent rise in suicide attacks in Pakistan,” he added.
“In the past two years, 2,267 innocent citizens’ lives have been lost to this tragic bloodshed, for which the terrorists of TTP are responsible,” he said.
“During this time, 15 Afghan citizens were also among the people involved in suicide attacks. Apart from this, till now, 64 Afghan citizens have been killed while fighting Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies during the counterterrorism campaign,” he added.
Kakar fell short of providing details about the purported involvement of Afghan nationals in any specific terror attack.
On November 1, Pakistani authorities initiated a crackdown against “undocumented” Afghan nationals.
The move has been heavily criticized by rights’ groups and members of civil society.
IEA said that Afghanistan is not responsible for the ‘security failure’ of Pakistan.
“These are false and repeated claims. We must mention that we have a position that Afghanistan’s soil will not be used against any other country, including Pakistan, and that Pakistan should understand and prevent its own problems in its own soil. Afghanistan is not responsible for the attacks in Pakistan,” IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
During the meeting, Minister Haqqani described Ambassador Zhao Xing’s tenure in Afghanistan as effective and praised his positive contribution to strengthening relations between Afghanistan and China.
Ambassador Zhao Xing, in turn, expressed his appreciation to the leadership of the Ministry of Interior Affairs for their cooperation and support throughout his tenure in Afghanistan.
The Chinese ambassador underscored the importance of the historic relations between Afghanistan and China and expressed hope that bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries would continue to expand in the future.
Several Afghan doctors and medical staff have been stopped from working at Northwest General Hospital and Research Centre (NWGH) in Peshawar due to visa-related issues, according to Pakistani freelance journalist Tahir Khan.
Khan reported on Monday that the affected Afghan medical workers had applied for visa extensions, but their applications have yet to be approved.
A September 2 circular issued by the Human Resource Department of Alliance Healthcare (Pvt.) Ltd. directed Afghan nationals without valid visas to discontinue their duties with immediate effect.
According to the circular, the employees can resume work after submitting valid visa documentation and completing the required verification process.
An NWGH doctor told Khan that several Afghan doctors and other medical staff had previously been working at the hospital with valid visas but have now been suspended while their visa-extension applications remain pending.
The development comes a week after the Lahore High Court suspended the operation of directives issued by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council ordering Afghan medical students to return to Afghanistan.
The reported suspension of Afghan medical staff at the Peshawar hospital has raised concerns among affected doctors, who say they remain unable to work while awaiting decisions on their visa applications.
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Mujahid: Afghanistan’s reconstruction must rely on domestic investment
Mujahid added that Afghanistan’s long-term development should ultimately be driven by the efforts, capital and resources of Afghans themselves.
Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says Afghanistan’s reconstruction should be driven by the country’s own resources, domestic investment and Afghan businesses rather than dependence on foreign aid and projects.
Mujahid said several countries, including the former Soviet Union and the United States, had implemented reconstruction and development projects in Afghanistan over the past decades while pursuing their own objectives and interests.
He said although some projects were completed, they were not sufficient to meet Afghanistan’s needs, while the country also suffered significant losses during periods of foreign involvement.
Mujahid stressed that Afghan traders and investors should play a central role in rebuilding the country and advancing economic growth.
According to him, the Islamic Emirate is working to encourage Afghan businesspeople to invest inside Afghanistan and contribute to reconstruction and development.
He said domestic investment is essential for strengthening Afghanistan’s economy and achieving greater self-reliance.
Mujahid added that Afghanistan’s long-term development should ultimately be driven by the efforts, capital and resources of Afghans themselves.
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