Pakistan Will Not Deport Former Afghan Intel Officers

Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, Pakistan's interim Prime Minister, announced that his government will not deport former Afghan intelligence officers due to threats they face in Afghanistan.

Following the collapse of the previous Afghan government in 2021, many of the former Afghan intelligence employees fled to Pakistan.

Pakistani PM told reporters on Wednesday that these former intelligence operatives might face revenge from the Taliban and their lives might be in danger, therefore, they will not be deported from Pakistan.

Kakar's interim government has started deporting 1.7 million "illegal" Afghan immigrants from all over Pakistan since November 1. He has ignored international criticisms about the deportation of these Afghans.

Referring to the return of the Taliban to power in 2021 and Pakistan witnessing a 60 percent increase in terrorism, he said that Afghans living illegally in Pakistan have caused instability and insecurity in the country.

Kakar added that 15 Afghan citizens were involved in this year's suicide attacks in Pakistan.

He also said that despite repeated assurances from the Taliban, the group has not taken any action against terrorism and in some instances, they have supported such elements.

Kakar stated that Pakistan has asked the Taliban to surrender all those wanted individuals by Pakistan to the country’s security agencies.

In defence of the plan to deport refugees, Pakistan's prime minister asserted that his country has both legal and moral rights to repatriate individuals living in Pakistan without legal documentation, including Afghans without residence permits.

According to him, the number of Afghans who voluntarily returned from Pakistan reached 252,000 people.

However, the United Nations has said that more than 78 percent of Afghan immigrants said they were forced to return to Afghanistan, fearing being arrested by the Pakistani police.