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.