by Shafqat Ali in The Nation, Oct 6, 2023
ISLAMABAD – Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani Thursday told his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi about challenges confronting regional peace.
The development comes after Pakistan government announce November 1 deadline for all illegal immigrants including Afghan refugees to leave the country or face forceful expulsion. The government took the decision after rise in suicide terror attacks in Pakistan involving Afghan nationals.
According to a statement released by the Foreign Office on X (twitter) on Thursday, Jilani held a meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Muttaqi and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthen bilateral ties with Afghanistan. He also underscored that challenges confronting regional peace and stability should be addressed in a “collaborative spirit through collective strategies”…….
Speaking at a weekly news conference here, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan’s national policy on Afghan refugees remains unchanged.
“We continue to host 1.4 million Afghan refugees with exemplary generosity and empathy despite resource constraints, and economic challenges. As the situation in Afghanistan stabilizes, we believe that it is the right time to upscale international efforts to create conditions conducive to the voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees with honour and dignity,” she added.
Baloch said Pakistan’s recent decision is not targeted against Afghan refugees. “The decision of the government of Pakistan is aimed at regulating illegal aliens residing in Pakistan, irrespective of their nationality. And Pakistan is well within the parameters of our sovereign domestic laws to act in this context,” she elaborated.
She said the government’s policy envisages a phased and time-bound repatriation of all illegal foreigners residing in Pakistan. “These include cases of individuals who are overstaying their visas and do not possess valid documentation. This is not directed against any specific nationality. With regards to the question about our engagement with the Afghan authorities, Pakistan remains in contact with Afghan authorities and will continue to engage with them on all matters of bilateral interest, including the safe return of the refugees,” the spokesperson said. However, she said, the latest decision pertains to illegal migrants and it does not pertain to refugees; these are two separate cases. To a question, she said Pakistan, and Afghanistan bilateral trade and transit trade continue to take place. “What Pakistan has said is that we would not accept the misuse of existing trade facilities including transit trade facilities. Any measures taken recently or to be taken in the coming days will be in accordance with this understanding,” she clarified.
She said Pakistan will undertake the exercise to send back illegal immigrants in a phased, deliberate and orderly manner. She said Pakistan had very clearly articulated its concerns about the threat of terrorism from the Afghanistan soil. “This statement has been made by Pakistan on several occasions, including at international conferences and forums. At the same time, we believe in diplomacy and dialogue, and we will continue to engage with Afghan authorities to fight this threat and to ensure that Afghan soil is not used to foment terrorism against Pakistan,” she underlined. She said India continues to indulge in propaganda against Pakistan and blames Pakistan on fictitious grounds; that is despite the fact that India itself has been engaged in terrorist activities inside Pakistan.
“As far as the security of the Pakistan cricket team is concerned, we have said in the past and I will reiterate that it is the responsibility of the host country to provide full security and a conducive sporting environment to our cricket team while they are in India for the ICC World Cup,” she further said. She said the Indian forces continue to commit serious human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). During the month of September, the Indian troops killed 13 Kashmiris in extra-judicial killings and arrested 157 civilians and activists, she said.
“Those arrested were mostly booked under the draconian laws promulgated by the occupation authorities in IIOJK — Public Safety Act (PSA) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Such oppressive measures and human rights violations must end and the Kashmiri leaders be set free so that the Kashmiri people can freely exercise their right to self-determination,” the spokesperson said…..
https://www.nation.com.pk/06-Oct-2023/only-illegal-immigrants-to-be-deported-pakistan
