Afghan | Pakistan

The three Afghan nationals who married to Pakistani citizens Tuesday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against their repatriation.

Afghan intelligence nabs 'TTP recruiters'

An Islamabad research institute is set to host Afghan leaders and women activists this week to discuss the regional peace and stability, organisers said on Monday. Pakistan and Afghanistan have witnessed an improvement in bilateral relations after taking steps to improve ties, such as the revival of the Joint Coordination Committee and upgrading diplomatic ranks. The South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (Sassi) University will organise the dialogue on August 25 and 26, according to Dr Maria Sultan, the think tank’s chairperson and director general. While both neighbouring countries have held bilateral engagements at the government level, this will be the first such Pak-Afghan dialogue since the 2021 Taliban takeover of Kabul. Some Afghan TV channels and media run by Afghan journalists in exile contended that Pakistan has invited anti-Taliban leaders. However, the Sassi University chairperson denied that the dialogue was against the Taliban or other Afghan political parties. Sultan said, “The main purpose...

• Diplomatic sources say it was US that ‘blocked’ exemption which would’ve allowed Muttaqi to tour Pakistan • Spokesperson hints that Pakistan will continue US-Iran messaging role ISLAMABAD: Although a UN Security Council travel ban is widely thought to be behind the cancellation of a planned visit by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to Islamabad, the Foreign Office on Friday hinted that “procedural issues” had hindered the trip. “There are certain procedural issues we are working through,” Foreign Office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters at the weekly media briefing when pressed about media reports on Muttaqi’s aborted trip. Mr Muttaqi was expected in Islamabad on August 4, continuing the recent high-level contacts initiated by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to Kabul earlier this year, a move that led to a thaw in ties. The rapprochement was brokered by China. However, the spokesperson clarified that no official dates had been confirmed for the Afghan foreign mi...

Pakistan has started to deport documented Afghan refugees ahead of its deadline for them to leave, according to the United Nations, in a move that could see more than 1 million Afghans expelled from the country. The country’s decision follows the interior ministry’s announcement on July 31 that Proof of Registration (PoR) cardholders — the last category of Afghans legally residing in Pakistan without visas — became unlawful residents after their cards expired on June 30. However, the federal government has informed the provinces that the formal repatriation and deportation of over 1.3 million Afghan refugees holding PoR cards will begin on September 1. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that it had received reports of arrests and expulsions of legally registered Afghans across the country before Pakistan’s September 1 deadline for them to leave. The UNHCR said that sending the Afghans back in this way was a breach of Pakistan’s international obligations. “UNHCR is calling on the go...

ISLAMABAD - The interior ministry has initiated a process for the voluntary repa­triation of Afghan na­tionals holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, setting Septem­ber 1 as the starting date for the formal de­portations, Radio Paki­stan reported yesterday.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior has announced the immediate launch of a voluntary repatriation process for Afghan nationals holding Proof of Registration (POR) cards, with a broader return operation set to begin on September 1, 2025. The decision follows growing national security concerns and increasing pressure on public resources, according to a high-level meeting convened […]

Pakistani authorities have resumed the forced deportation of Afghan refugees after the federal government refused to extend a key deadline for their legal stay, officials confirmed Monday.

Pakistan has enforced a ban on the entry of Afghan freight vehicles without valid driver visas at all trade crossings with Afghanistan, effective August 1.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said Pakistan received “recent assurances” from Afghan authorities that the neighbouring country’s soil would not be used for terrorism — a key issue of contention between Islamabad and Kabul. Both countries have witnessed an improvement in bilateral relations after taking steps to improve ties, such as the revival of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) and upgrading diplomatic ranks. Dar visited Kabul earlier this month, where an agreement was signed for the Pakistan, Uzbek­istan and Afghanistan railway project to boost regional connectivity. According to a Foreign Office (FO) statement issued on Saturday, Dar engaged with the Pakistani-American community at the Pakistan Consulate in New York, where he “shared Pakistan’s expectation that Afghan soil would not be used for terrorism, noting recent assurances received from Afghan authorities in that regard”. The foreign minister also highlighted the “country’s outreach to Afghanistan with a view to enh...

ISLAMABAD - Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi yesterday discussed counterterrorism efforts in a meeting with his Afghan counterpart Sirajuddin Haqqani in Kabul.

ABBOTTABAD: In a major crackdown against document fraud, Abbottabad Cantonment Police have arrested a group allegedly involved in helping Afghan nationals illegally obtain Pakistan’s Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC). The crackdown was launched on the special directives of District Police Officer (DPO) Umar Tufail (PSP) and led by SHO Cantt Police Station, Cadet Abdul Ghafoor […]

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday discussed counterterrorism efforts in a meeting with his Afghan counterpart Sirajuddin Haqqani in Kabul. The visit comes after a series of steps between both nations to improve ties, such as the revival of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) and the upgrading of each country’s diplomats from the rank of chargé d’affaires to ambassador. Both countries also held the inaugural round of the Additional Secretary-Level Mechanism talks earlier in the month. “Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi holds an important meeting with his Afghan counterpart Sirajuddin Haqqani,” the Interior Ministry said in a post on X. Naqvi was warmly welcomed by interim Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani upon arrival at the Afghan Ministry of Interior, the post said. “Discussion on bilateral relations, particularly counter-terrorism, infiltration, and the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban [Pakistan],” took place, according to the interior ministry. Effective management of the Pak-Afghan border,...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar held important meetings with Afghan and UAE officials to strengthen bilateral relations, enhance economic cooperation, and promote regional connectivity.

A German court ruled on Tuesday that the government must issue visas to an Afghan family previously accepted under a programme for those at risk after the Taliban seized power in 2021. The new government under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz has frozen the programme, but Berlin’s administrative court said the family had been given a “legally binding” commitment and must be allowed to travel to Germany. About 2,500 Afghans with similar approvals are estimated to be in Pakistan waiting to be able to travel to Germany. The programme was set up for those who worked with Germany’s army or other institutions in Afghanistan, as well as journalists and activists judged to be threatened by the Taliban. However, the new government under Merz — who made a crackdown on immigration one of his key election pledges — has said in its coalition agreement it wants to end the programme “as far as possible”. The family concerned by Tuesday’s decision is currently in Pakistan and had lodged an urgent appeal, telling the co...

As many as 350 Afghan students have reached Pakistan to pursue studies in top-tier Pakistani universities across diverse disciplines under HEC Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships to Afghan Students (Prime Minister’s Directives).

German police said on Thursday they had shot dead an Afghan man after he used a knife to attack officers trying to arrest him, seriously wounding one of them. The incident happened in the southern city of Wangen when two officers attempted to detain the 27-year-old man at his home to take him to serve a prison sentence for assault. “In the course of the operation, the man suddenly pulled out a knife and attacked the officers without warning,” police and prosecutors said in a joint statement. “As a result of the attack, the police officers fired several shots.” The Afghan died at the scene despite efforts to resuscitate him, they said. One officer was seriously injured after being stabbed several times, but was not in a life-threatening condition. The authorities have launched an investigation into the use of a firearm by police. Several serious attacks in Germany carried out in recent times — some by migrants — including knife attacks and car-rammings, fuelling a heated debate on immigration. Chanceller Fried...

Veteran journalist and news director of the Associated Press for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Kathy Gannon on Friday said that the presence of various militant groups on Afghan soil posed a significant challenge to regional security. Speaking at an event titled “Geopolitical Shifts and Security Challenges: Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Regional Power Play” organised by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) in Islamabad, Gannon — who in 2014 was attacked and wounded while reporting from Afghanistan — said, “While Afghanistan might not want all the militant groups on its territory nor did Kabul invite them all, but they were still there.” According to a press release, Gannon emphasised the importance of restoring trust between Pakistan and Afghanistan, appreciating the recent positive developments in relations between the two neighbours. She said that “Pakistan could better influence the Afghan government by treating it as an equal and a partner in pursuing its regional objectives.” “She also urged Islamabad to...

Afghan women working for the United Nations in Kabul have been threatened by unidentified men because of their jobs, the organisation and several women told AFP on Thursday. Multiple women working for various UN agencies told AFP on condition of anonymity they had been threatened on the street and over the phone by men warning them to “stay home”. UN staffer Huda — not her real name — said that for weeks she has been bombarded with messages abusing her for “working with foreigners”. “The messages keep coming and they are always harassing us … saying, ‘Don’t let me see you again, or else’,” the young woman told AFP. She said her office had advised her to work from home until further notice. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed that UN staff had been threatened. “Several United Nations female national staff members in the Afghan capital Kabul have been subjected to threats by unidentified individuals related to their work with the UN,” it said in a statement. Considering the th...

Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday described the improvement of ties with Pakistan as a “very positive development in bilateral relations,” the Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement. Earlier this week, both nations agreed to upgrade their diplomatic relations by exchanging envoys — a key step towards normalising ties after years of strained relations between Islamabad and the Taliban administration in Kabul. Pakistan on Friday announced its elevation of diplomatic representation in Afghanistan from Charge d’Affaires to Ambassador level, as bilateral ties “move on a positive trajectory.” According to the statement, Muttaqi spoke to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar over the phone and discussed upgrading diplomatic relations. “Muttaqi called it a positive step and expressed hope that the remaining stages would be completed soon,” the statement said. “Both sides expressed that upgrading the level of diplomatic relations would pave the way for expanding cooperation...