Latest news with #Pakistan-Afghan
News18
2 days ago
- Business
- News18
TTP-Army Confrontation Along CPEC Routes Highlights Pakistan's Dual Crisis
Presence of TTP militants has turned this key economic corridor into a battleground, forcing Pakistan to allocate troops away from its conventional fronts to guard CPEC projects An ongoing confrontation between the Pakistan army and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters on the crucial CPEC Islamabad–DI Khan (M-14) route highlights Pakistan's dual crisis of internal militancy and over-dependence on China. The presence of TTP militants has turned this key economic corridor into a battleground, forcing Pakistan to allocate troops away from its conventional fronts in order to protect CPEC projects. News18 has accessed exclusive videos showing TTP militants operating and dancing with weapons in the key tribal belts through which the CPEC route passes, a clear sign of their growing confidence and operational control in these areas. This resurgence has been fuelled by a safe haven and ideological guidance provided by al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, which TTP cadres are allegedly utilising for sanctuary, logistics, and training. Pakistan's strategic vulnerability has been exposed by the TTP's ability to operate with impunity from within Afghan territory, a situation exacerbated by the Afghan Taliban's refusal to act against the group. This has severely strained Pakistan-Afghan relations and limited Islamabad's options for a decisive military response. Beyond the military confrontation, the TTP is also actively engaging in a campaign of economic warfare. Reports indicate that the group is extorting money from China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) contractors, demanding a 5% 'tax" and threatening workers, machinery, and construction sites. This has added a layer of financial pressure and security risk to the already complex projects. For China, the security situation is a growing concern. The CPEC projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are high-value targets, and a number of attacks on Chinese engineers, including the deadly Dasu hydropower project incident, have prompted China to express repeated concern. Sources indicate that China's security stake in the project is rising, leading it to deploy private security personnel, as a full dependence on the Pakistan army for protection is deemed too risky. For Pakistan, losing operational control in these vital tribal belts has exposed its strategic vulnerability and underscored the fact that its counter-terrorism operations remain incomplete. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pakistan expels over 80,000 Afghans in push ahead of April 30 deadline, adviser says
By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has expelled over 80,000 Afghan nationals since the end of March, a senior official said on Friday, as part of a repatriation drive ahead of the April 30 deadline. Afghan nationals who have no legal documents to stay or those holding Afghan Citizen Cards had been warned by Islamabad to return home or face deportation by March 31, a deadline which was then extended to April 30. The April 30 deadline is final, Talal Chaudhry, an interior ministry adviser told a press conference in Islamabad, underlining that only those Afghans who hold valid visas to be in Pakistan would be allowed to stay. The repatriation drive is part of a campaign called the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan launched in late 2023. Pakistan has in the past blamed militant attacks and crimes on Afghan citizens, who form the largest migrant group in the country. Afghanistan has rejected the accusations, and has termed the repatriation as forced deportation. Chaudhry was speaking just a day before Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is scheduled to lead a high-powered delegation for talks in Kabul. "The talks will cover the entire gamut of the Pakistan-Afghan relationship, focusing on ways and means to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interests, including security, trade, connectivity, and people-to-people ties," a foreign office statement said. Pakistani authorities say they have set up temporary centres in various cities to house the Afghan nationals before transporting them to the Torkham border crossing in northwest Pakistan.
Reuters
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Pakistan expels over 80,000 Afghans in push ahead of April 30 deadline, adviser says
ISLAMABAD, April 18 (Reuters) - Pakistan has expelled over 80,000 Afghan nationals since the end of March, a senior official said on Friday, as part of a repatriation drive ahead of the April 30 deadline. Afghan nationals who have no legal documents to stay or those holding Afghan Citizen Cards had been warned by Islamabad to return home or face deportation by March 31, a deadline which was then extended to April 30. The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here. The April 30 deadline is final, Talal Chaudhry, an interior ministry adviser told a press conference in Islamabad, underlining that only those Afghans who hold valid visas to be in Pakistan would be allowed to stay. The repatriation drive is part of a campaign called the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan launched in late 2023. Pakistan has in the past blamed militant attacks and crimes on Afghan citizens, who form the largest migrant group in the country. Afghanistan has rejected the accusations, and has termed the repatriation as forced deportation. Chaudhry was speaking just a day before Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is scheduled to lead a high-powered delegation for talks in Kabul. "The talks will cover the entire gamut of the Pakistan-Afghan relationship, focusing on ways and means to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interests, including security, trade, connectivity, and people-to-people ties," a foreign office statement said. Pakistani authorities say they have set up temporary centres in various cities to house the Afghan nationals before transporting them to the Torkham border crossing in northwest Pakistan.
Gulf Today
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
PM Shahbaz thanks US President Trump for recognising Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump for appreciating Pakistan's support and contributions to counter-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan. In a post on his X handle on Wednesday, the premier said Pakistan would continue to partner closely with the United States in securing regional peace and stability. His remarks came after the US president thanked the Pakistani government for apprehending the "top terrorist" involved in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing during withdrawal of Americans from the war-torn country. Identifying the terrorist as Sharifullah, a top-tier operational commander of Daesh, the prime minister said that the militant was an Afghan national and was apprehended in a successful operation conducted in the Pakistan-Afghan border region. As is well-known, Shahbaz Sharif said, Pakistan has always played a critical role in counter-terrorism efforts aimed at denying safe havens to terrorists and militant groups the space to operate against any other country. "We remain steadfast in our resolve and unwavering commitment to combating terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations," he added. In this effort, he said, Pakistan has rendered great sacrifices, including the lives of over 80,000 of our brave soldiers and citizens. "The resolve of our leadership and our people remains unflinching, to eradicate the menace of terrorism from our country. We will continue to partner closely with the United States in securing regional peace and stability." President Trump, during his speech to a joint session of Congress, said: "Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity. And he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice." After a brief pause and a round of applause, he thanked the government of Pakistan for helping apprehend the "monster" and added that it was "a very huge day for the affected families. "This was a very momentous day for those 13 families, whom I actually got to know very well, whose children were murdered. What a horrible day," Trump said. FBI Director Kash Patel said later Sharifullah was in US custody, in a post on X alongside a picture of agents standing in front of the plane that he was meant to arrive on. Pakistan had launched an operation along its Afghan border to capture Sharifullah, whom Shahbaz described as an Afghan national and top commander for militant group Daesh-Khorasan. Afghanistan's Taliban government did not respond to a request for comment. A Pakistani security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Sharifullah's arrest was part of wide-ranging joint counterterrorism efforts. "Excellent cooperation has been established between Pakistan and President Trump's new government," the official added. In a statement, the US Justice Department said it had caught Sharifullah with the help of the CIA and FBI agencies, without naming Pakistan. Islamabad is making use of concerns about regional security and counterterrorism "to engage with Trump, who otherwise has no interest in Pakistan", said defence analyst Ayesha Siddiqa. "For now (the arrest) is just to signal to the United States that Pakistan is there and can be relied upon as a partner," she added. The 2021 bombing at Kabul airport killed at least 170 Afghans and 13 US troops as they sought to help both Americans and Afghans flee in the chaotic aftermath of the Taliban takeover. The US Justice Department has charged Sharifullah with "providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources" to the group.
Voice of America
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
US-Pakistan operation to capture 'top terrorist' signals deep counterterrorism cooperation despite cold ties, experts say
The U.S. Justice Department plans Wednesday to present in a federal court in Virginia the alleged mastermind of the August 2021 bombing that killed 13 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The justice department said Islamic State Khorasan operative Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as 'Jafar,' was charged on March 2 with 'providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death.' Sharifullah is expected to appear in the justice system's Eastern District of Virginia, the department said in a statement on its website. President Donald Trump broke the news of Sharifullah's capture Tuesday night in a speech to Congress on Capitol Hill. 'Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity,' Trump said. 'And he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice.' The Abbey Gate bombing at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 26, 2021 also killed roughly 170 Afghans. Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, a U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization linked with the Islamic State terror group, claimed responsibility. The suicide attack came amid the chaotic troop withdrawal at the end of the 20-year U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. In this speech, Trump hailed Pakistan for helping with the mission to arrest Sharifullah. 'And I want to thank, especially, the government of Pakistan for helping arrest this monster,' the U.S. president said. Sharifullah's capture Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif identified Sharifullah as a 'top tier commander' and an Afghan national in a post on X. 'The wanted terrorist was apprehended in a successful operation conducted in Pakistan-Afghan border region,' Sharif said, without sharing details. The justice department said the mission was a multi-agency effort that also involved the CIA and the FBI. 'Sharifullah admitted to helping prepare for the Abbey Gate attack, including scouting a route near the airport for an attacker,' the department said. Sharifullah admitted to recognizing Abdul Rahman al-Logari who detonated the suicide bomb and admitted to playing a role in other attacks in Afghanistan and Russia, the statement added. Islamabad-based security affairs analyst Iftekhar Firdaus told VOA that Sharifullah, a resident of Kabul, joined ISIS-K in 2016. 'He was arrested in 2019 and then released during the jailbreak of the Afghan Taliban during their takeover of August 15, 2021,' said Firdaus, founder of The Khorasan Diary, an online platform that monitors militancy. If convicted, Sharifullah could get a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, the justice department said. Cooperation with Pakistan Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Trump for acknowledging his country's contribution in a post on the X social media platform. 'We thank U.S. President Donald Trump for acknowledging and appreciating Pakistan's role and support in counter terrorism efforts across the region,' Sharif posted. 'We will continue to partner closely with the United States in securing regional peace and stability,' the prime minister added. The arrest signals Islamabad and Washington are working closely on some security issues despite relations reaching a low since the end of the U.S. war in Afghanistan and the return of the Taliban to power. 'The arrest shows that counter-terrorism cooperation between Pakistan and the US remains robust even though relations are largely confined to a narrow bandwidth focused on counterterrorism,' former Pakistani ambassador to Washington, Maleeha Lodhi, told VOA. 'This is the first major development between both countries since the Trump administration took office,' Firdaus said. 'It also exemplifies the dependence of both countries on each other when it comes to counterterrorism cooperation.' Thaw in ties? Still, experts warned the joint effort and the public expression of gratitude from the highest offices should not be seen as a thaw in relations. 'One has to be careful not to over read the significance of a single event for Pakistan-US relations, that have been at a crossroads since the US exit from Afghanistan in 2021 and need high-level engagement for a reset,' Lodhi said. Most military aid to Pakistan remains blocked since Trump put a freeze on it during his first term in office. Many in Washington also blame Pakistan for the losses the United States incurred in the Afghan war. In congressional hearings soon after the troop withdrawal, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said Pakistan's role in providing sanctuary to the Afghan Taliban needed to be 'fully examined.' Antony Blinken, then-Secretary of State, told Congress in a September 2021 hearing that the Biden administration would look into the role Pakistan played during the war. Nearly two dozen Republican senators also proposed a bill that called for 'an assessment of support by state and non-state actors, including the government of Pakistan, for the Taliban between 2001 and 2020.' Pakistan, a major non-NATO ally has consistently denied allegations of covertly providing support to Taliban while supporting the U.S. in the Afghan war. 'We remain steadfast in our resolve and unwavering commitment to combating terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations,' Sharif said in his X post Wednesday. In a post on X, Washington-based South Asia expert Micheal Kugelman said Pakistan is interested in a new security partnership with the U.S. 'Pakistan wants to leverage U.S. concerns about terrorism in Afghanistan and pitch a renewed security partnership with the U.S.,' said Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, adding 'it will be a hard sell to the administration.' The joint counter-terrorism operation comes just days after the Trump administration released $397 million for a program that supports Pakistan's use of F-16 fighter jets acquired from Washington. Islamabad is stipulated to use the fighter jets for only for counterterrorism purposes, and not against archrival India.
