Pakistan’s FM Urges UN Support To Tackle Terrorism In Afghanistan

The documents, published by the hacker group “TalibLeaks”, show that the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed its embassy in Tehran to raise the issue with the New Zealand embassy in Iran.

At the request of the border police, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sought clarification regarding the validity of the New Zealand visa issued to the Afghan individual.

Border police officers are typically trained to distinguish genuine travel and consular documents from forgeries and are equipped with specialist tools for this purpose. However, since the Taliban’s return to power, the group has replaced many trained personnel in civilian and military institutions with its own appointees.

Many of these newly appointed officials lack formal education and have primarily received training in religious schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In a statement, the embassy said that Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the imminent deportation of all Afghan migrants, including those holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) and Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.

“Officials from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have confirmed that there is a definitive and final plan to deport all Afghan refugees not only from Islamabad and Rawalpindi but also from the entire country in the near future,” the statement read.

According to the Taliban embassy, only Afghans with valid visas will be allowed to remain in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The embassy expressed concerns over Pakistan’s unilateral decision and stated that it has raised the issue with Pakistani authorities and international organisations. It further noted that the Taliban administration in Afghanistan has been informed to coordinate the return of refugees.

The statement also alleged that Afghan nationals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi have recently been subjected to arrests, searches, and forced evictions by Pakistani police. The embassy claimed that the Pakistani government did not notify them in advance and that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was also unaware of the situation.

According to a document obtained by Afghanistan International, the Pakistani government, under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, approved a mass deportation plan for Afghan refugees during a meeting on 29 January.

According to the report, 15 of those detained remain in custody as of February. OCHA also revealed that 56 humanitarian projects have been suspended due to Taliban interference, with nearly half still on hold.

The findings indicate a one hundred sixty-one percent rise in aid worker arrests compared to the previous month. Additionally, 127 cases of interference or restrictions on humanitarian aid access were recorded, with eighty-three percent attributed to the Taliban.

OCHA outlined several ways in which the Taliban have disrupted humanitarian work, including demands for staff lists and data, restrictions on women’s participation in aid efforts, intervention in hiring processes, delays in document approvals, and procurement disruptions.

A previous OCHA report showed that in November 2024, 164 incidents of humanitarian aid disruptions were documented in Afghanistan, with ninety-nine percent linked to Taliban authorities.

According to these sources, one Pakistani border guard was killed, while the Taliban suffered heavy casualties in the skirmish.

On Wednesday, Pakistani security officials reported that Taliban fighters launched a sudden attack on a border post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The assault resulted in the death of a Pakistani border soldier, while another soldier sustained injuries and was transferred to a military hospital for treatment.

In response, Pakistani forces launched a counterattack, completely destroying the Taliban’s border post. Pakistani sources claimed that the Taliban suffered significant casualties, although they did not provide an exact number.

Reports indicate that both sides used heavy weaponry during the intense exchange of fire. While the gunfire has now ceased, tensions along the border remain high, with security forces on high alert for further hostilities.

On 23 August 2024, the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent multiple letters to its embassy in Islamabad, detailing these violations and formally protesting to the Pakistani government.

According to these documents, Pakistani military jets and drones conducted at least 22 aerial patrols over Afghan territory between 3 and 20 August 2024. The air patrols took place over Paktika, Helmand, Nangarhar, Khost, Kunar, and Kandahar provinces, lasting several hours. However, the Taliban’s records do not specify the purpose of these incursions.

The leaked documents further indicate that Pakistani border guards fired into Afghan territory more than 30 times during the same period. In several instances, Pakistani forces launched multiple attacks in a single day, using light and heavy weapons, including mortars and DShK machine guns.

The Taliban claimed that these attacks targeted residential homes, military installations, and Taliban personnel. Some reports suggest that Taliban border patrols came under direct fire, while in other cases, Pakistani forces attempted to install border barriers without prior coordination. When Taliban border guards objected, Pakistani troops responded with gunfire.

In its formal complaint to Islamabad, the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Pakistan’s repeated airspace violations and border attacks. The ministry expressed its serious concerns over Pakistani intelligence aircraft patrolling Afghan airspace and the escalation of hostilities along the Durand Line.

Despite officially documenting these violations and urging Pakistan to prevent further incidents, no tangible progress has been made. The Taliban warned that continued Pakistani military actions could increase tensions along the disputed Durand Line and further strain relations between Islamabad and Kabul.