KABUL: The Taliban government condemned on Tuesday the “violence” used by Pakistan in its new campaign to expel Afghans from the country, accusing Islamabad of using the migrants for “political goals.”
Islamabad canceled the residence permits of hundreds of thousands of Afghans in Pakistan, including many who were born or living for decades there, as part of a deportation program.
“The mistreatment of them (Afghans) by neighboring countries is unacceptable and intolerable,” the Taliban Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said on X, calling for a joint agreement to facilitate repatriations.
An average of 4,000 Afghans crossed the border from Pakistan on Sunday and Monday, “far higher than the March daily average of just 77,” the International Organization for Migration (IOM) told AFP.
The new phase in Pakistan’s campaign to repatriate Afghans “could affect up to 1.6 million undocumented Afghan migrants and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders during 2025,” the agency said.
The UN says nearly three million Afghans live in Pakistan: 800,000 had their Pakistani ACC residency cards canceled in April and 1.3 million still have residence permits until June 30 because they are registered with the UN refugees agency UNHCR. Others have no papers.
“It is with great regret that Afghan refugees are being subjected to violence,” the Taliban refugees ministry said.
“All refugees should be allowed to take their ho was born in northern Afghanistan, told AFP on Monday after crossing the Torkham border point.
“I had papers and they ripped them up.”
In September 2023, hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans poured across the border into Afghanistan in the days leading up to a deadline to leave, after weeks of police raids.
More than 800,000 Afghans by the end of 2024, according UN figures.wealth, belongings, and household goods with them to their own country,” it added.
Afghans crossing the border have told AFP in recent days that they left without being able to take all their belongings or money, while others are rounded up and taken directly to the border.
Human rights activists have for months been reporting harassment and extortion by Pakistani security forces against Afghans.
Moniza Kakar, a lawyer in Pakistan’s largest city Karachi, said, “(Officials) are picking and arresting people randomly, from different places. There is no proper mechanism to shift the whole family,” she told AFP.
Relations between Kabul and Islamabad have soured since the Taliban takeover, fueled by a sharp rise in violence in Pakistan along the Afghan border.
“No one should use refugees as tools for their political goals,” the Afghan refugees ministry added.
Pakistan authorities did not provide immediate comment when contacted by AFP.
“My only crime is that I’m Afghan,” Shah Mahmood, who was born in northern Afghanistan, told AFP on Monday after crossing the Torkham border point.
“I had papers and they ripped them up.”
In September 2023, hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans poured across the border into Afghanistan in the days leading up to a deadline to leave, after weeks of police raids.
More than 800,000 Afghans by the end of 2024, according UN figures.
Kabul slams Pakistan’s ‘violence’ against Afghans pressured to leave
https://arab.news/yhenn
Kabul slams Pakistan’s ‘violence’ against Afghans pressured to leave
- Islamabad canceled the residence permits of hundreds of thousands of Afghans in Pakistan as part of a deportation program
- Afghan refugees should be allowed to take their wealth, belongings and household goods with them, Afghan refugees ministry says
Suicide blast kills two policemen in Pakistan’s northwest, police say
- The blast targeted a police vehicle within the remits of Chamkani police station in Peshawar
- No group immediately claims responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on Pakistani Taliban
ISLAMABAD: A suicide blast killed two policemen in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province that borders Afghanistan, police said on Sunday, amid a surge in militancy in the region.
The blast targeted a police vehicle within the remits of Chamkani police station in the provincial capital of Peshawar, according to a Peshawar police spokesman. Three other persons were injured in the attack.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, who have mounted their attacks against security forces and police in the region in recent months.
“SI (sub-inspector) Laeeqzada Khan and Constable Alamzeb were martyred as a result of the blast,” Alam Khan, the police spokesman said.
Bilal Faizi, a spokesperson for KP Rescue 1122 service, said they shifted the bodies and injured to hospital for medico-legal formalities.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence in KP since the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), called off their months-long ceasefire with the government in late 2022.
Islamabad has frequently accused that militant groups use Afghan soil to launch cross-border attacks in Pakistan, an allegation the Afghan Taliban deny, maintaining there are no militant groups operating in their territory.
Late last month, Pakistan’s army said it had killed over 70 militants who were attempting to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan.
India’s diplomatic ambitions tested as Trump pushes for deal on Kashmir
- India’s rapid rise as the world’s fifth-largest economy has boosted its confidence, clout on world stage
- But the decades-old conflict with Pakistan over Kashmir touches a sensitive nerve in the Indian politics
NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan have stepped back from the brink of all-out war, with a nudge from the US, but New Delhi’s aspirations as a global diplomatic power now face a key test after President Donald Trump offered to mediate on the dispute over Kashmir, analysts said.
India’s rapid rise as the world’s fifth-largest economy has boosted its confidence and clout on the world stage, where it has played an important role in addressing regional crises such as Sri Lanka’s economic collapse and the Myanmar earthquake.
But the conflict with Pakistan over Kashmir, which flared up in recent days with exchanges of missiles drones and air strikes that killed at least 66 people, touches a sensitive nerve in Indian politics.
How India threads the diplomatic needle — courting favor with Trump over issues like trade while asserting its own interests in the Kashmir conflict — will depend in large part on domestic politics and could determine the future prospects for conflict in Kashmir.
“India ... is likely not keen on the broader talks (that the ceasefire) calls for. Upholding it will pose challenges,” said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia analyst based in Washington.
In a sign of just how fragile the truce remains, the two governments accused each other of serious violations late on Saturday.
The ceasefire, Kugelman noted, was “cobbled together hastily” when tensions were at their peak.
Trump said on Sunday that, following the ceasefire, “I am going to increase trade, substantially, with both of these great nations.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for his part, has not commented publicly on the conflict since it began.
India considers Kashmir an integral part of its territory and not open for negotiation, least of all through a third-party mediator. India and Pakistan both rule the scenic Himalayan region in part, claim it in full, and have fought two wars and numerous other conflicts over what India says is a Pakistan-backed insurgency there. Pakistan denies it backs insurgency.
“By agreeing to abort under US persuasion ... just three days of military operations, India is drawing international attention to the Kashmir dispute, not to Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism that triggered the crisis,” said Brahma Chellaney, an Indian defense analyst.
For decades after the two countries separated in 1947, the West largely saw India and Pakistan through the same lens as the neighbors fought regularly over Kashmir. That changed in recent years, partly thanks to India’s economic rise while Pakistan languished with an economy less than one-10th India’s size.
But Trump’s proposal to work toward a solution to the Kashmir problem, along with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s declaration that India and Pakistan would start talks on their broader issues at a neutral site, has irked many Indians.
Pakistan has repeatedly thanked Trump for his offer on Kashmir, while India has not acknowledged any role played by a third party in the ceasefire, saying it was agreed by the two sides themselves.
Analysts and Indian opposition parties are already questioning whether New Delhi met its strategic objectives by launching missiles into Pakistan on Wednesday last week, which it said were in retaliation for an attack last month on tourists in Kashmir that killed 26 men. It blamed the attack on Pakistan — a charge that Islamabad denied.
By launching missiles deep into Pakistan, Modi showed a much higher appetite for risk than his predecessors. But the sudden ceasefire exposed him to rare criticism at home.
Swapan Dasgupta, a former lawmaker from Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, said the ceasefire had not gone down well in India partly because “Trump suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pronounced his verdict.”
The main opposition Congress party got in on the act, demanding an explanation from the government on the “ceasefire announcements made from Washington, D.C.”
“Have we opened the doors to third-party mediation?” asked Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh.
And while the fighting has stopped, there remain a number of flashpoints in the relationship that will test India’s resolve and may tempt it to adopt a hard-line stance.
The top issue for Pakistan, diplomats and government officials there said, would be the Indus Waters Treaty, which India suspended last month but which is a vital source of water for many of Pakistan’s farms and hydropower plants.
“Pakistan would not have agreed (to a ceasefire) without US guarantees of a broader dialogue,” said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, a former foreign minister and currently chairman of the People’s Party of Pakistan, which supports the government.
Moeed Yusuf, former Pakistan National Security Adviser, said a broad agreement would be needed to break the cycle of brinksmanship over Kashmir.
“Because the underlying issues remain, and every six months, one year, two years, three years, something like this happens and then you are back at the brink of war in a nuclear environment,” he said.
‘We just want peace’: Kashmiri nomadic shepherds yearn for stability amid India-Pakistan tensions
- The lives of these nomads revolve around seasonal migrations, seeking grazing grounds for animals on different altitudes
- But this season, a far greater uncertainty loomed in front of them in the form of India-Pakistan military incursions
MUZAFFARABAD: Muhammad Jahangir, 35, continuously walked for around four hours to finally find a green patch of land along the banks of Jhelum River, just outside the town of Garhi Dupatta in Azad Kashmir, where his goats could graze, and descended from the road to survey the riverside himself.
While the grass and tree leaves there were barely enough to feed his herd of around 250 goats and a few sheep, Jahangir let out a series of sharp, familiar whistles along with others in his group and the trained animals began moving down the slope to nibble at the patchy grass.
Jahangir hails from the Kashmiri Bakarwal community that comprises nomadic, pastoral people, who are known for raising sheep and goats, in both Pakistan and India-governed parts Kashmir, particularly in the Pir Panjal and Himalayan mountain ranges.
The lives of these Bakarwals revolve around seasonal migrations with their herds, seeking grazing grounds on different altitudes depending on the time of year, but this May a far greater uncertainty loomed ahead in the form of India-Pakistan military incursions.
“We’re coming from Kharian and our destination is Deosai,” Jahangir told Arab News, standing beside his flock a surprise truce between the two countries brokered by the United States (US).
“The situation ahead is said to be tense due to firing. Some of our Bakarwal groups are stuck near Panjkot Mali. We’ll decide whether to move ahead or not depending on the conditions.”
Jahangir and three of his fellows were en route to Deosai, a high-altitude plateau in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region that is known for its lush-green meadows.
But they were forced to stop because of artillery, drone and missile strikes along the nearby Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border dividing Kashmir between Pakistan and India. Jahangir feared that if the situation continued to remain the same, they might not reach the highlands in time.
“We’ve heard that some people have lost their livestock, though we didn’t see it ourselves. Some families have already turned back from Neelum [valley in Azad Kashmir] and returned,” Jahangir said.
This particular group of nomads set out from Kharian over a week ago, traveling on the Grand Trunk Road and arriving in Muzaffarabad via Murree a resort town on the border of Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province. The four men managed the herd on foot, while their families had already moved ahead on horseback to set up makeshift camps along the way.
Devoid of modern gadgets like smartphones and GPS, these nomads rely on inherited knowledge to assess the direction of the wind, position of stars, and bends of rivers to navigate the challenging terrain, though some of them carry basic feature phones that often have no signals in the mountainous regions.
Once a celebrated lifestyle built on freedom and communion with nature, the nomadic way of living is now increasingly threatened by changing climate patterns, shrinking grazing grounds, and a lack of hospitality from settled communities along their traditional routes.
“People are so cruel [now], they don’t even let us stay near their lands,” said Farooq Ahmed, another nomad.
“If we find a little government land near the river, we rest our animals there, otherwise the locals stop us from going uphill. They say the grass and trees are theirs.”
For generations, these nomads’ migration to Deosai has been about survival — escaping the blistering summer heat of the lowlands and reaching the cool, high pastures where food is abundant and livestock can thrive.
But weeks of tensions between India and Pakistan over an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 tourists on April 22, turned into a military conflict last week, leaving more than 60 people dead on both sides in four days of cross-border strikes and threatening the centuries-old nomadic way of life in the region.
Although the US-brokered ceasefire between India and Pakistan remains intact, sporadic violations have been reported by locals in Azad Kashmir.
For Ahmed, this truce offers little assurance.
“We just want peace,” he said. “It has become a problem for everyone, every human being is suffering now.”
Pakistan vows to preserve Indus Waters Treaty amid ceasefire with India
- India suspended the treaty, which ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms, a day after an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 tourists
- Tensions between the two neighbors over the attack, Islamabad denies any complicity in, escalated and both launched air and ground strikes against the other this week
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is committed to upholding a ceasefire with India but it will take “all appropriate steps” to preserve the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), the Pakistani Foreign Office said on Sunday, saying the treaty is critical for Pakistan’s water security and economy.
Pakistan and India engaged in a military conflict and attacked the other with fighter aircraft, missiles, drones and artillery fire, following weeks of tensions between the two over an attack in the disputed Kashmir region that India blamed on Pakistan, Islamabad denies it.
The incursions that targeted several cities for four days killed nearly 60 people on both sides as major world powers scrambled for a ceasefire between the nuclear-armed arch-foes. On Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire that has largely held, except for some violations in Kashmir.
However, tensions remain high since Saturday’s announcement by Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri that the 1960 World Bank-brokered treaty would remain in abeyance, signaling deeper diplomatic rifts despite the temporary cessation of hostilities between the two neighbors.
“We are committed on ceasefire but the IWT is of critical importance for Pakistan’s water security and economy,” Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told Arab News.
“Naturally, we will take all appropriate steps to preserve its sanctity and smooth implementation.”
India suspended the treaty, which ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms, a day after the April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists. Islamabad has called for a credible, international probe into the attack and described the Indian move to suspend the treaty as “act of war.”
The IWT grants Pakistan rights to the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — for irrigation, drinking, and non-consumptive uses like hydropower, while India controls the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — for unrestricted use but must not significantly alter their flow. India can use the western rivers for limited purposes such as power generation and irrigation, without storing or diverting large volumes, according to the agreement.
“The fact is that there have been fundamental changes in the circumstances in which the Indus Waters Treaty was concluded,” Indian Foreign Secretary Misri was quoted as saying by NDTV on Thursday.
He said there is now a need to “reassess the obligations under that treaty.”
Khan, the Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson, said India is in no position to unilaterally hold the treaty in abeyance in the absence of any relevant legal provisions in the agreement.
“Water is a vital national interest of Pakistan, a lifeline for its 240 million people and its availability will be safeguarded at all costs,” he said, reiterating Islamabad’s position that any attempt to stop or divert the flow of its water would be “responded with full force across the complete spectrum of national power.”
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam said any attempt to stop Pakistan’s share of water could lead to dangerous escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
“Stopping or reducing our share is absolutely not acceptable and can lead to further and dangerous escalation,” he told Arab News. “The revival of the Indus Waters Treaty in its current form remains a top priority on the agenda in any negotiations between the two countries.”
Muqam further stated that India must revive the IWT in its original form to maintain long-term peace in the region.
“There can be no compromise on it as it is a matter of life and death for us and there is no question of it that they [Indians] stop our water and we will remain silent,” the minister added.
Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations, having fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, a region split between them, since gaining independence from the former British colonial rule in 1947.
Peshawar Zalmi pledge Rs50 million for Pakistani pilots for ‘heroic response’ to India strikes
- The announcement comes as Pakistanis mark a ‘Day of Gratitude’ to recognize the nation’s reply to India’s fighter jet, missile, drone and artillery strikes
- A ceasefire, brokered by the US, appeared to hold between the two arch-rivals on Sunday after four days of fighting killed nearly 60 people on both sides
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Peshawar Zalmi have pledged Rs50 million ($177,809) for Pakistani pilots for their “heroic response” to India’s missile and drone strikes on Pakistan this week, the franchise said on Sunday, in a gesture of national solidarity.
The announcement came as Pakistanis marked a “Day of Gratitude,” announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Sunday to recognize the nation’s “befitting response” to India’s fighter jet, missile, drone and artillery strikes.
Hours after India’s missile strikes on multiple Pakistani cities on Wednesday, Pakistan said it had downed five Indian fighter jets, a claim partly corroborated by Indian government sources who confirmed at least three.
Javed Afridi, the Peshawar Zalmi chairman, said the recent events posed a serious threat to national security and public safety, but the “swift, precise and heroic response” of Pakistan’s air defenders averted any major damage.
“Their unwavering courage, dedication, and sacrifice are the heartbeat of our national pride. Today, we honor them not just with words, but through meaningful action,” Afridi was quoted as saying by his franchise.
“This contribution is more than a gesture — it is a powerful symbol of national solidarity and deep respect for the heroes who shield our skies with unshakable resolve.”
The statement came as a ceasefire, brokered by the United States (US), appeared to hold between the two nuclear-armed arch-rivals on Sunday. Four days of fighting between the two nations killed nearly 60 people and sent thousands fleeing, in the worst violence since India and Pakistan’s last open conflict in 1999.
The cross-border incursions forced both countries to postpone their respective Twenty-20 cricket leagues to ensure safety of local and international players as well as the spectators.
Cricket authorities of both countries have been in discussions to announce rescheduled dates and venues for the matches that had yet to be played.
