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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.
Pakistan says communities living along the Afghanistan-Pakistan Durand Line want peace and stability, despite ongoing security concerns in the region.
Speaking during a weekly media briefing, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said there are no major issues between the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, adding that residents on both sides of the Durand Line want peaceful relations and greater regional stability.
However, Andrabi claimed that terrorism originating from Afghan territory continues to undermine peace efforts.
He said Islamabad believes militant activity crossing from Afghanistan remains a significant obstacle to improving regional security and bilateral ties.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected such allegations, maintaining that no militant group is allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten neighboring countries.
Andrabi also said Pakistan remains diplomatically engaged on regional matters involving Afghanistan, Iran, India, and Somalia, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remain Islamabad’s preferred means of resolving disputes.
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Afghanistan-Gambia ties discussed during Doha meeting
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Doha, has met with Omar Jah, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Gambia to Qatar, to discuss bilateral relations and areas of mutual interest.
According to a statement from the Afghan embassy in Doha, Jah also oversees Gambian diplomatic affairs related to Afghanistan.
The meeting focused on Afghanistan-Gambia relations, the current security situation in Afghanistan, and potential investment opportunities in the country.
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly and head of the Pakhtunkhwa Awami National Party, has said that if capable statesmen had been in power, people living on both sides of the Durand Line could have moved freely across the line.
Speaking during a podcast interview, Achakzai said that countries with histories of major conflict, including Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom, now maintain far more open borders despite past wars. He said that in many such regions, only a “paper line” remains, with limited border restrictions.
Drawing comparisons with the disputed Durand Line boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Achakzai argued that a similar arrangement could have been possible in South Asia.
“What is the problem here? A Punjabi could dance in Kandahar and a Pashtun could come here. Even if we are not formally one country, we could have effectively functioned like one,” he said.
The Pakistani politician also referred to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the later U.S.-led intervention, saying Afghanistan has the right to seek war reparations from those countries to support reconstruction efforts.
Achakzai further criticised the treatment of Pashtuns in Pakistan, alleging that individuals in cities including Lahore and Karachi have faced detention and deportation.
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