TTP Policies Have Damaged Pashtun Society, Says Senior Pak Politician

He also reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to its alliance with Europe and urging partners to strengthen their own defence capabilities.

Opening his speech with a message of unity, Rubio said the United States and Europe “belong together” and emphasised that the fate of the European continent “will never be irrelevant” to the United States.

He criticised the energy and migration policies of previous governments and some Western leaders, saying they had made people poorer and threatened the future. Rubio also criticised the United Nations, claiming the organisation had played little role in resolving major conflicts.

Rubio said that under President Donald Trump, the United States intends to change this approach and hopes European allies will join in that effort. While Washington is prepared to act alone if necessary, he said, it prefers to work in partnership with Europe.

Referring to the historical importance of transatlantic cooperation, Rubio said the alliance between the United States and Europe had helped save the world from past threats.

At last year’s Munich Security Conference, US Vice President JD Vance surprised European leaders with sharp criticism of American allies. This year, however, Rubio arrived in Europe with a calmer and more reassuring message aimed at easing concerns.

Some European Union leaders have recently called for reassessing and repairing ties with Washington following Trump’s threats to assert control over Greenland and impose new tariffs. Rubio’s visit to Munich, however, carried a message of unity, historic solidarity and readiness for joint cooperation.

The report said 19,973 Afghan refugees awaiting relocation to the United States are currently in Pakistan, and their information will be shared with relevant authorities to begin deportation procedures.

According to the report, the federal government will write to senior provincial officials, police authorities in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as the chief commissioner of Islamabad, instructing them to take immediate steps to return Afghans awaiting US resettlement.

Following the collapse of Afghanistan’s former government in 2021, tens of thousands of Afghans fled to neighbouring countries, including Pakistan. Many have spent more than four years waiting to be resettled in third countries, particularly the United States.

In recent months, Pakistan has deported several Afghan refugees who were on US relocation lists. Some deported refugees previously told The Washington Post that Pakistani authorities no longer believe the United States will take concrete action to resettle Afghans living in Pakistan.

In December, Afghan refugees in Pakistan awaiting US resettlement issued a statement saying they should not become victims of the actions of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who was accused of shooting two US National Guard soldiers. They urged Washington to resume relocation programmes for eligible Afghan migrants.

Earlier, on November 26, Lakanwal, who had travelled to the United States in the early days after the fall of the Afghan government, opened fire on two National Guard soldiers near the White House. One of the soldiers died the following day from his injuries.

After the incident, US President Donald Trump halted the processing of all Afghan immigration cases and announced that the files of Afghans who had entered the United States in recent years would be reviewed again.

Trump also suspended the issuance of visas for Afghan passport holders for an indefinite period. Asked by reporters how long the suspension would last, he said no time frame had been set and that the measure would remain in place “for a long time.”

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that all suspects linked to the bombing were detained at around 3 a.m. during police operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. One Pakistani security officer was killed during the operation, he added.

Naqvi said the alleged mastermind is connected to the Islamic State group and claimed that at least 21 militant organisations, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Islamic State, are operating from Afghan territory.

He also alleged increased financial support for militant groups, saying they previously received about $500 but now receive around $1,500, without providing evidence. Naqvi accused India of funding the groups, an allegation New Delhi has repeatedly denied.

A Pakistani security official told Reuters that the arrests were carried out in two separate intelligence operations in Nowshera and Peshawar. Authorities have not released the identities of those detained.

The arrests came one day after a suicide bombing at the Khadija tul Kubra mosque in Islamabad during Friday prayers. Pakistani officials said at least 31 people were killed and 171 others wounded in the attack, which could see the casualty toll rise.

Officials said the attacker opened fire before detonating explosives he was carrying. Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Asif, said the attack had been planned and the attacker trained by Islamic State in Afghanistan.

The Afghan Taliban condemned the bombing, describing it as “contrary to Islamic and human values,” and have repeatedly rejected Pakistani accusations that militant groups operate from Afghan soil.

In a post on X, Asif said those responsible for killing worshippers in a mosque were “enemies of religion and the country,” adding that the militant involved in the attack had been present in Afghanistan.

According to Asif, Pakistani security forces confronted the attacker before he detonated explosives among the last rows of worshippers.

He added that Pakistan must eliminate what he described as “terrorist camps inside Afghanistan” and said the government would respond to the attack with full force.

The explosion occurred during Friday prayers, killing at least 31 people and injuring 169 others. Officials warned the death toll could rise.

Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s minister of state for interior affairs, said the attacker was not an Afghan national but had a history of travel to Afghanistan.

The explosion occurred during Friday prayers at the Khadija Kubra Mosque in the capital city.

Police and emergency responders were dispatched to the scene immediately after the blast. Authorities declared an emergency at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, the capital’s specialised clinics and several other hospitals to treat the wounded.

Officials said the explosion was carried out by a suicide attacker. No group has yet claimed responsibility.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructed Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to investigate the attack and identify those responsible.

President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the bombing, calling the targeting of innocent civilians “a crime against humanity.”

The US Embassy in Islamabad also condemned the attack, saying the United States would continue supporting Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace and security and remained committed to stability in the region. The embassy said the United States stands with Pakistan during this difficult time.

Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran’s ambassador to Islamabad, described the explosion as a terrorist attack and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.