Pakistan all set to welcome thousands of evacuees from Afghanistan amid US withdrawal

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is all set to welcome nearly 4,000 Afghan citizens after the country accepted requests made by the US and NATO to provide assistance in evacuations from war-torn Afghanistan.

The US Embassy had requested Pakistan to grant permission for transiting the passengers. It has been asked to allow transit passengers under three categories to help in the evacuation by August 31.

The categories include US diplomats, citizens, Afghan nationals and people from other countries.

The gravity of the situation in Kabul, where thousands of people await the chance to leave Afghanistan amid fears of a Taliban reprisal, has been compounded by a fast-approaching deadline — August 31.

Around 3,000 to 4,000 Afghan citizens, who supported the US and allied forces during their war with the Taliban, will be given Pakistan’s visa and brought to Karachi before their departure to the US after a month, The News reported Friday.

The Sindh government has made boarding and lodging arrangements for the Afghan citizens. The flights will start landing in Karachi from tomorrow, the publication reported, citing sources.

A high-level meeting was held between officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Director General Civil Aviation Authority in Rawalpindi to discuss the evacuation plan.

Another important meeting was also held in Karachi to finalise the arrangements for the evacuees.

As many as five flights carrying people from Afghanistan will land in Karachi, sources in the CAA said. The rest of the flights will land in Multan, Faisalabad, Islamabad and Peshawar, while Lahore has declined to provide this facility.

The sources said that those who arrive will be transported to the designated places arranged by the Sindh government through buses from the Jinnah Terminal.

In Karachi, about 2,000 Afghans and diplomats will arrive from Afghanistan in the next three to four days, reads a letter sent by the Karachi commissioner to the Rangers, IG police, health department secretary and other concerned agencies.

The deputy commissioner has been instructed to make security, boarding, transport and other arrangements on an emergency basis at the airport hotel.

In Rawalpindi, the district administration has issued orders to vacate hotels and marquees and not take more bookings to accommodate the Afghan people and diplomats.

Orders have been given to not book 148 hotels, motels and hostels for at least the next three weeks, while the management of hotels have been informed as well.

While in Islamabad. the federal government has decided to accommodate foreigners in all hotels and six marquees, sources said.

GEO

 

[MenInG]

Do Pakistanis have the appetite to accept more refugees?

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

My kids were friends with Hazara youngsters who arrived at their school in England after being refugees in Pakistan for a few years. Still actually on friendly terms with them, but they post pro-Indian stuff and and blame the terrorism in Afghanistan on Pakistan. If that is their attitude, they really shouldn't be using Pakistan to escape their own country. They should ask India for refuge.

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Islam*abad’s administration took control of all hotels in the capital on Thursday for several weeks to arrange accommodation for foreigners being evacuated from Afghanistan, sources said.

Security measures in and around the hotels have been beefed up, with police and paramilitary personnel put on high alert, they said.

Senior officials of the administration and police told Dawn that the steps were taken after directives in this regard were issued by the government.

Thousands of foreigners, including diplomats and other staff of foreign missions and journalists, are expected to arrive in the capital in the next couple of weeks, the sources said.

About 1,500 foreigners are scheduled to arrive from the neighbouring country on Friday (today) aboard separate flights, they said, adding that over 1,000 foreigners are expected to land in Islamabad on each day of the next couple of weeks.

Security measures beefed up in and around Islamabad hotels

The officials said that due to multiple bombings at the Kabul airport on Thursday, the evacuation of foreigners from Afghanistan would speed up, adding that these transit passengers would move to their own countries after a brief stay in the federal capital.

The capital’s administration asked the managements of all the hotels to close reservations for 21 days starting on Friday, leaving all the vacant rooms in them at the disposal of the administration.

So far the people staying in the hotels have not been asked to leave, they said, adding that such requests could be made if the need arises.

A notification issued by the office of District Magistrate said that in view of the current situation across the border, thousands of people were being evacuated from Afghanistan and passengers using transit flights for the purpose were staying in Islamabad.

“In order to facilitate the passengers, it is requested that reservations in all hotels of Islamabad may be closed from tomorrow onwards for the next 21 days at least,” it said.

“All vacant rooms may be placed at the disposal of the administration for accommodation of passengers till further orders,” it added.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2021

 

[MenInG]

My kids were friends with Hazara youngsters who arrived at their school in England after being refugees in Pakistan for a few years. Still actually on friendly terms with them, but they post pro-Indian stuff and and blame the terrorism in Afghanistan on Pakistan. If that is their attitude, they really shouldn't be using Pakistan to escape their own country. They should ask India for refuge.

India should have been at the Kabul airport taking people there - but clearly not interested.

 

[Saj]

How will this affect Pakistan's economy?

 

[IMMY69]

How will this affect Pakistan's economy?

Depends on whose paying...

I expect Nato/ USA to foot most of the bill

 

[IMMY69]

India should have been at the Kabul airport taking people there - but clearly not interested.

Perhaps some of our resident Indian friends can explain / clarify

 

[rockyboy2018]

Pakistanis have big hearts

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

India should have been at the Kabul airport taking people there - but clearly not interested.

They are interested in propaganda only. I have no doubt that their constant mud-slinging on social media has twisted minds in Afghanistan against Pakistan. Cheap and risk free method of building hatred, although not sure what benefits it brings to their own people.

 

[Varun]

They are interested in propaganda only. I have no doubt that their constant mud-slinging on social media has twisted minds in Afghanistan against Pakistan. Cheap and risk free method of building hatred, although not sure what benefits it brings to their own people.

Zero benefits whatsoever, but the real question is why the Afghans hate Pakistanis so much? What happens to all the Ummah stuff when it comes to you two? It can't all be because of India who are merely catalyzing some existing fault lines.

At least India v Pakistan is the devil you know.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Zero benefits whatsoever, but the real question is why the Afghans hate Pakistanis so much? What happens to all the Ummah stuff when it comes to you two? It can't all be because of India who are merely catalyzing some existing fault lines.

At least India v Pakistan is the devil you know.

In my view Afghans are pretty simple people and will believe whatever they hear on social media, and we all know Indian bots are most active in the world, and what message they would like to spread and about whom. Ummah goes by the wayside for the average man who is not usually that politically savvy either in Pakistan or Afghanistan. Taliban having been on the receiving end of it are a bit more wise to it and that is why they can rise above it and invoke Ummah.

I'm sure there's more to it than that, but in a nutshell that's a start.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Zero benefits whatsoever, but the real question is why the Afghans hate Pakistanis so much? What happens to all the Ummah stuff when it comes to you two? It can't all be because of India who are merely catalyzing some existing fault lines.

At least India v Pakistan is the devil you know.

I grew up thinking that Bharat's education system is far superior to whatever we have in Pakistan but then over time I realized that it's not true and posts like this are a reflection of the point that I'm making.

Apparently, every Hindu is in love with the other Hindu, there's no crime that has ever been committed by Hindus against each other, the Jaats and Marhattas claim all the old wars as propaganda instigated by the evil Afghan Mughals who came to the subcontinent to quench their thrust for power, and the Akhand Bharat visionaries have parties celebrating each other in the streets of Madhya Pardesh.

 

[OMB]

Pakistan accepts request to host people leaving Afghanistan

Over 2,000 people expected to reach Karachi with flights to begin landing from today

Pakistan accepted on Friday a request to host US citizens and other foreigners leaving Afghanistan in its efforts to aid the withdrawal of people from the latter by August 31.

According to reports, between 2,000 to 3,000 people will be brought to Karachi.

Flights carrying foreigners from Kabul, Afghanistan would start landing at the Jinnah International Airport (JIAP) from today.

The Karachi commissioner has also sent a letter to Sindh DG Rangers, Sindh IG Police and Sindh Secretary Health Department to ensure proper and necessary arrangements on an emergency basis.

The commissioner further informed the department concerned about a meeting - held at the V-Corps headquarters - that the people coming from Afghanistan would be staying in the metropolis for a few days.

Read Making efforts to help Afghanistan achieve peace, COAS tells MI6 chief

The commissioner, in his letter, further directed the Malir deputy commissioner to make emergency arrangements at the JIAP premises and nearby hotels while providing security to those arriving in Karachi with the help of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and law enforcement agencies.

Transport arrangements among other facilities, including mobile health department units, ambulances were also ordered to be done. Medical personnel were also asked to be deployed at the identified locations.

Moreiver, the K-Electric has also been directed to ensure uninterrupted power supply at the designated locations.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2317375/pakistan-accepts-request-to-host-people-leaving-afghanistan

 

[MenInG]

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Friday said that the Chaman and Torkham borders are open and Pakistan is issuing 21-day transit visas to people coming to Pakistan from Afghanistan.

He said that the particulars of people coming to Pakistan through these borders are being recorded, adding that Pakistan is ready to issue visas to Afghans if their details and documentations are correct.

“We are willing to issue visas to the diplomats of all countries including the United States and the United Kingdom,” Rasheed added.

The interior minister said that 1,500 people were evacuated from Kabul and 1,480 people reached here via Torkham.

“The entire world is lauding Pakistan’s historic role in this crisis," Rasheed said.

The interior minister condemned the Kabul airport blast and said that US President Joe Biden had warned of something like this
GEO

 

[Last Monetarist]

Zero benefits whatsoever, but the real question is why the Afghans hate Pakistanis so much? What happens to all the Ummah stuff when it comes to you two? It can't all be because of India who are merely catalyzing some existing fault lines.

At least India v Pakistan is the devil you know.

Much of it is down to the questionable legitimacy of the Durand Line in the aftermath of the second Anglo-Afghan war.

The long proxy war between Afghanistan and Pakistan prior to the Saur Revolution of 1978 led many urban Afghans to believe that Pakistan had a central role in making their country into a basketcase. That kind of hatred will not dissipate easily.

 

[ahsan17]

Zero benefits whatsoever, but the real question is why the Afghans hate Pakistanis so much? What happens to all the Ummah stuff when it comes to you two? It can't all be because of India who are merely catalyzing some existing fault lines.

At least India v Pakistan is the devil you know.

Why do white supremacists hate immigrants in western countries, and non-immigrant who are not white, especially in the US where they number in 10s of millions? There doesn't have to be some logical answer for the question you are asking.

 

[cric_man]

Much of it is down to the questionable legitimacy of the Durand Line in the aftermath of the second Anglo-Afghan war.

The long proxy war between Afghanistan and Pakistan prior to the Saur Revolution of 1978 led many urban Afghans to believe that Pakistan had a central role in making their country into a basketcase. That kind of hatred will not dissipate easily.

Irony is that Afghanistan had been the aggressor since 1947 even initiating an invasion of Pakistan as well as fomenting insurrections in the Pashtoon belt. Afghans conveniently overlook that aspect. Their official maps still have area uptil Attock as part of Afghanistan.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Much of it is down to the questionable legitimacy of the Durand Line in the aftermath of the second Anglo-Afghan war.

The long proxy war between Afghanistan and Pakistan prior to the Saur Revolution of 1978 led many urban Afghans to believe that Pakistan had a central role in making their country into a basketcase. That kind of hatred will not dissipate easily.

Afghanistan was already a basket case, Afghan enmity of India, and specifically Punjab was well documented before the creation of Pakistan. You can read references to it in many British books published far before any current times.

 

[PakLFC]

Don't know what IK is doing allowing so many people in from Afghanistan. Was hoping this would be avoided which is clearly not the case. Thing is Afghan's don't like the pro Pak Taliban and Pak doesn't want anti Pak/pro India government next door. This makes it a very difficult situation for Pak.

 

[Varun]

In my view Afghans are pretty simple people and will believe whatever they hear on social media, and we all know Indian bots are most active in the world, and what message they would like to spread and about whom.

The Internet is a young entity, social media yet younger. And in a country where a mere 13.5% of people have access to the web, this argument is a stretch to begin with. They've had blood in their eyes when talking about you for generations on end.

 

[street cricketer]

Zero benefits whatsoever, but the real question is why the Afghans hate Pakistanis so much? What happens to all the Ummah stuff when it comes to you two? It can't all be because of India who are merely catalyzing some existing fault lines.

At least India v Pakistan is the devil you know.

It is a huge leap of imagination to believe that Indians on social media created the enmity between Afghans and Pakistanis when barely a few Afghans have internet penetration in the country.
[MENTION=140824]Last Monetarist[/MENTION] summarised it well. Basically it goes back to when the Durand Line was created by the British when they annexed part of Afghanistan and used it to distinguish Afghanistan and British India. It is very similar to the reason of enmity between India and Pakistan, but Afghanistan substituted in place of Pakistan and Pakistan in place of India. Basically the Afghans believe that Pashtun land was divided by the British and a part of it is unfairly under the control of Pakistan just like how Pakistanis believe that Kashmir is divided and a part of it is unfairly under the control of India. The difference here being eventhough historically and culturally the regions of KPK have more connection to Afghanistan, a new national identity has been formed in the region under the Pakistani banner after all those years Durand line was created and most of the Pakistani Pashtuns feel Pakistani.

However Afghans still feel they should reclaim those lost Pashtun lands from Pakistan which is unfair in my opinion as the people of KPK don't really want that (I do think it's only a political narrative from Afghan politicians in the modern sense). And they did make efforts to do so by creating insurgencies in KPK way back in the 1950s and 60s. But what is fair though is that Afghans feeling their country has been made into a basket case due to Pakistan avenging the past actions of Afghan state. No Afghan politician can give up claims over the Pashtun lands in Pakistan as that would be poltical suicide, a bit like a Pakistani politician giving up claim to Kashmir on the Indian side. Afghanistan is a country of many tribes but Pashtun nationalism is still the major overbearing factor contributing to the Afghan national identity. So it is in Pakistan's best interests to deconstruct the Afghan national identity by way of supporting a religious movement like the Taliban (or Mujahideens in the past) as opposed to an ethnonationalist one like the Pashtunistan movement. There is a reason why the Taliban hate the Afghan national flag and want to replace it with the flag of the Taliban. The Afghans see it as an attack to their national identity. In short, the animosity of Afghans towards Pakistan is because Afghans believe Pakistan has taken efforts over the years to destroy their national identity.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Afghanistan is a country of many tribes but Pashtun nationalism is still the major overbearing factor contributing to the Afghan national identity. So it is in Pakistan's best interests to deconstruct the Afghan national identity by way of supporting a religious movement like the Taliban (or Mujahideens in the past) as opposed to an ethnonationalist one like the Pashtunistan movement. There is a reason why the Taliban hate the Afghan national flag and want to replace it with the flag of the Taliban. The Afghans see it as an attack to their national identity. In short, the animosity of Afghans towards Pakistan is because Afghans believe Pakistan has taken efforts over the years to destroy their national identity.

Or they could have supported the non Pashtuns. I doubt the Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazara etc want Pashtuns to go from 40 % in Afghanistan to like 80% if KPK and Baluchistan were annexed. So instead of supporting the Taliban, it would have been in Pakistan best interest if they supported the more moderate Northern Alliance, or any other non Pashtun group.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Its fine to take these refugees as they will be leaving soon. However Pakistan should under no circumstance take in more Afghan refugees who do not have a visa to go somewhere else.

 

[street cricketer]

Or they could have supported the non Pashtuns. I doubt the Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazara etc want Pashtuns to go from 40 % in Afghanistan to like 80% if KPK and Baluchistan were annexed. So instead of supporting the Taliban, it would have been in Pakistan best interest if they supported the more moderate Northern Alliance, or any other non Pashtun group.

It doesn't matter if Afghanistan is under the Northern Alliance or under Ghani, no elected Afghan government will give up the narrative of the Durand line politically. That would be akin to political suicide. At the end of the day, Pashtuns are the largest group in Afghanistan. It is a sensitive national issue in Afghanistan like Kashmir for Pakistan or Taiwan for China. Even though they can't wage war against India, no Pakistani politician will ever ask the Pakistani people to stop caring about Kashmir, that would be political suicide.

Of course, this doesn't mean the Afghan politicians can do anything against Pakistan, it's just limited to political narratives. I recently read an excerpt from a book when one of the American diplomats who was in Pakistan casually asked an ISI general 'what would it take for Pakistan to stop supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan'. To that, the Pakistani general replied that they would stop meddling in Afghanistan if Afghanistan promises to give up their claims over Pakistan and recognises that the Durand line separates the two countries. When the American diplomat was later in a meeting with Afghan ministers in Afghanistan and when they were blaming Pakistan for backing the Taliban in Afghanistan, the American diplomat apparently conveyed what the Pak general said. Nobody really replied and the American diplomat repeated the same. To that, Amrullah Saleh leaned over to the American diplomat and said that the issue of the Durand line is a sensitive political issue in Afghanistan and no Afghan politician would drop the narrative as it would be asking to do political suicide. I found this excerpt from a book on social media a few days back.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

It doesn't matter if Afghanistan is under the Northern Alliance or under Ghani, no elected Afghan government will give up the narrative of the Durand line politically. That would be akin to political suicide. At the end of the day, Pashtuns are the largest group in Afghanistan. It is a sensitive national issue in Afghanistan like Kashmir for Pakistan or Taiwan for China. Even though they can't wage war against India, no Pakistani politician will ever ask the Pakistani people to stop caring about Kashmir, that would be political suicide.

Of course, this doesn't mean the Afghan politicians can do anything against Pakistan, it's just limited to political narratives. I recently read an excerpt from a book when one of the American diplomats who was in Pakistan casually asked an ISI general 'what would it take for Pakistan to stop supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan'. To that, the Pakistani general replied that they would stop meddling in Afghanistan if Afghanistan promises to give up their claims over Pakistan and recognises that the Durand line separates the two countries. When the American diplomat was later in a meeting with Afghan ministers in Afghanistan and when they were blaming Pakistan for backing the Taliban in Afghanistan, the American diplomat apparently conveyed what the Pak general said. Nobody really replied and the American diplomat repeated the same. To that, Amrullah Saleh leaned over to the American diplomat and said that the issue of the Durand line is a sensitive political issue in Afghanistan and no Afghan politician would drop the narrative as it would be asking to do political suicide. I found this excerpt from a book on social media a few days back.

Taliban also never dropped their claim over the Durand line when they ruled the country before. And even now they will not drop their claim. However they did not do anything to act on it. So Pakistan is ok with them in charge.

So even if Northern Alliance did not drop the claim, it seems it would have been better for Pakistan to have non Pashtuns in charge of Afghanistan, rather religious extremist.

Pakistan strategy to back the Pashtuns made no sense, as they are the ones divided and the only ones who care about the Pashtuns in Pakistan. I mean it makes no sense for the Tajiks, or Uzbek's to feel closer to Pakistani Pashtuns than they would to Tajikistan or Uzbekistan. Also if non Pashtuns are ruling in Afghanistan the less likely are Pakistani Pashtuns going to feel any connection towards Afghanistan.

 

[street cricketer]

Taliban also never dropped their claim over the Durand line when they ruled the country before. And even now they will not drop their claim. However they did not do anything to act on it. So Pakistan is ok with them in charge.

So even if Northern Alliance did not drop the claim, it seems it would have been better for Pakistan to have non Pashtuns in charge of Afghanistan, rather religious extremist.

Pakistan strategy to back the Pashtuns made no sense, as they are the ones divided and the only ones who care about the Pashtuns in Pakistan. I mean it makes no sense for the Tajiks, or Uzbek's to feel closer to Pakistani Pashtuns than they would to Tajikistan or Uzbekistan. Also if non Pashtuns are ruling in Afghanistan the less likely are Pakistani Pashtuns going to feel any connection towards Afghanistan.

But the thing is, the Taliban is indeed made up of a majority of Pashtuns but those Pashtuns are not ethnonationalist in nature but rather in favour of creating a religious theocracy.

Why do you think Pakistan supported the Taliban in your opinion?

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

But the thing is, the Taliban is indeed made up of a majority of Pashtuns but those Pashtuns are not ethnonationalist in nature but rather in favour of creating a religious theocracy.

Why do you think Pakistan supported the Taliban in your opinion?

They supported Taliban because they wanted a government in Afghanistan that would be friendly to Pakistan. They did not want any Pashtun nationalist in charge of Afghanistan, that would try to cause problems among Pakistani Pashtuns, so Taliban or any other religious group made sense to them.

However that strategy created blow back in Pakistan. 80,000 dead, economy ruined, and until a few years ago very unsafe. Not to mention majority of Pakistanis are Barelvi, and not Deobandi, so backing Deobandi's has now radicalized the Barelvi's.

If the goal was a friendly non Pashtun nationalist government in Afghanistan, then my thinking is why not support the non Pashtuns? I would assume Tajiks, Uzbeks, etc would be opposed to Pashtun Nationalism as much as Pakistan.

 

[street cricketer]

They supported Taliban because they wanted a government in Afghanistan that would be friendly to Pakistan. They did not want any Pashtun nationalist in charge of Afghanistan, that would try to cause problems among Pakistani Pashtuns, so Taliban or any other religious group made sense to them.

However that strategy created blow back in Pakistan. 80,000 dead, economy ruined, and until a few years ago very unsafe. Not to mention majority of Pakistanis are Barelvi, and not Deobandi, so backing Deobandi's has now radicalized the Barelvi's.

If the goal was a friendly non Pashtun nationalist government in Afghanistan, then my thinking is why not support the non Pashtuns? I would assume Tajiks, Uzbeks, etc would be opposed to Pashtun Nationalism as much as Pakistan.

Oh don't mistake me, I personally believe Pakistan backing the Taliban in the mid 90s was one of their misguided foreign policies which backfired on them and led to a lot of deaths in their own country. I mean, I'm not naive and I know even western countries sometimes support radical fundamentalist organisations for their own geopolitical gains. Saudi Arabia also does it. But the thing is, neither America nor Saudi Arabia support these problematic outfits in their own territories - they do it in foreign territories safely away from their own respective countries. Pakistan was naive to do so in its own territory without recognising the implications of the strategy. If India in a hypothetical scenario supported radical hindutva outfits which bred and trained radical militants to cross over and bomb muslims in Pakistan, it is natural that some of those fighters would inspire people in India ideologically, who would be ready to bomb muslims in India and even hindus who they don't recognise as hindu enough.

My personal opinion is this. It doesn't matter if Afghanistan is under northern alliance or even a Pashtun nationalist leader, Afghanistan can't harm Pakistan in any way whatsoever. Pakistan has a well trained professional army, it has a good navy, a well trained airforce and is a nuclear state. Yet it cannot take Kashmir away from India though force, it can only do so through talks and diplomacy. The power imbalance between Afghanistan and Pakistan is far far greater than the power imbalance between Pakistan and India. Afghanistan has a joke of a military, its airforce comprised of a few crop duster planes and is a land locked state. You just have to see how swiftly it fell over to the Taliban. Pakistan's economy might not be in a great state, but Afghanistan's economy is even poorer and is dependent on Pakistan for trade. Bangladesh separation happened because the scenario was totally different, but I don't think such a scenario will ever happen in KPK or even Balochistan. In such a scenario, it had no reason to support covert insurgencies in Afghanistan and create enmity with the average Afghan civilian.

Now I know the answer would be that Afghan governments are friendly with India which would supports "terrorism" in Pakistan. I see that as a poor excuse and ignoring its own faults. Pakistan needs to tighten the Af-Pak border and go after the elements targeting their state and clean up their country of terrorists. If there are no new terrorists to cross over from Afghanistan and all the bad apples are cleaned inside its own territory and still terrorism takes place, then that points to an indigenous issue like Kashmir than an exogenous one like terrorist attacks in the west. India has its own fault lines in Kashmir and the north east. There was a time when militancy was common in the north east and China actively supported the insurgency, but India has largely controlled such insurgencies both in the north east and in Punjab and the region is now peaceful. It is only the Kashmir valley that has an insurgency and even there, probably more bomb blasts occur in Pakistan than in the Kashmir valley every month. That Pakistan hasn't managed to similarly control insurgencies in their own country points to a massive failure of their intelligence agency and pinning all the blame on the NDS and RAW seems like a massive cop out to me.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

My personal opinion is this. It doesn't matter if Afghanistan is under northern alliance or even a Pashtun nationalist leader, Afghanistan can't harm Pakistan in any way whatsoever. Pakistan has a well trained professional army, it has a good navy, a well trained airforce and is a nuclear state. Yet it cannot take Kashmir away from India though force, it can only do so through talks and diplomacy. The power imbalance between Afghanistan and Pakistan is far far greater than the power imbalance between Pakistan and India. Afghanistan has a joke of a military, its airforce comprised of a few crop duster planes and is a land locked state. You just have to see how swiftly it fell over to the Taliban. Pakistan's economy might not be in a great state, but Afghanistan's economy is even poorer and is dependent on Pakistan for trade. Bangladesh separation happened because the scenario was totally different, but I don't think such a scenario will ever happen in KPK or even Balochistan. In such a scenario, it had no reason to support covert insurgencies in Afghanistan and create enmity with the average Afghan civilian.

They should not have supported the Taliban in the past, but as the saying goes you cant put the genie back in the bottle. So after 9/11 the thought process was what happens after US leaves Afghanistan. And Pakistan felt their was too much risk to make the Afghan Taliban a permanent enemy of Pakistan.

The reason that the Afghan Taliban helped the Pakistani Taliban in the first place was because was allowing the US to use their territory to conduct the war in Afghanistan. They like the US thought Pakistan was playing a double game with them.

Now I know the answer would be that Afghan governments are friendly with India which would supports "terrorism" in Pakistan. I see that as a poor excuse and ignoring its own faults. Pakistan needs to tighten the Af-Pak border and go after the elements targeting their state and clean up their country of terrorists. If there are no new terrorists to cross over from Afghanistan and all the bad apples are cleaned inside its own territory and still terrorism takes place, then that points to an indigenous issue like Kashmir than an exogenous one like terrorist attacks in the west. That Pakistan hasn't managed to similarly control insurgencies in their own country points to a massive failure of their intelligence agency and pinning all the blame on the NDS and RAW seems like a massive cop out to me.

I agree its Pakistan fault. Ultimately the intelligence agencies of Pakistan are a reflection of Pakistani society. If the entire country is not functioning properly then you cant expect the intelligence agencies to be any better. Which is why the idea that the ISI is the reason that the Taliban captured Afghanistan 16 days before the US withdrew is ludicrous. Not in their wildest dreams did they think this would happen.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Chickens roosting

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday said the world should realise that the situation in Afghanistan could give rise to another humanitarian crisis and turning a blind eye to the war-torn country could worsen the crisis.

"We are keenly observing the situation in Afghanistan," Fawad said while speaking to the media in Karachi this afternoon.

"The world has to make decisions with sagacity, not by the use of force," he said adding, "Don't wait for the destruction of Afghanistan. I urge all countries to not leave the country alone."

Highlighting that the world was cognisant of Pakistan's efforts pertaining to the evacuations, he said, "The bigger problem at the moment is about filling the gap of leadership in Afghanistan."

"It is not up to Pakistan to form a government in Afghanistan; it is the Afghans who can elect a government."

He recalled that Pakistan had expressed its concerns about the neighbouring country beforehand. "If the world listened to Pakistan earlier, it wouldn't be in such a dismal state."

Also read Pakistan will continue promoting peace, stability in Afghanistan: FM Qureshi

"We still advise the global community to act on Pakistan's advice," the minister said adding, "We will provide all-out support to Kabul."

 

[Colorblind Genius]

So these are mostly the anti-Taliban, Pro-India and automatically Anti-Pakistan Elite class of AFGHANI CITIZENS. Won't they have an iota of shame taking refuge in the same Pakistan they spewed hate against?

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

The Internet is a young entity, social media yet younger. And in a country where a mere 13.5% of people have access to the web, this argument is a stretch to begin with. They've had blood in their eyes when talking about you for generations on end.

Read my reply a couple of posts before - #19. Afghan enmity was for India before Pakistan, Punjab in particular as there were several wars before Pakistan was even created. If Pakistan wasn't there, it would be you lot getting it, so maybe you should count your blessings and show some appreciation for a change.

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to suspend its decisions to bring Afghan transit passengers to Karachi, sources informed Geo News Saturday.

Passengers evacuated from Afghanistan will be brought only to Islamabad, said sources, adding that Karachi and Lahore airports, for the time being, will be kept on standby.

Afghan transit passengers will be kept in Islamabad for only a few hours, sources said, adding that they will be dispatched to other countries within a few hours of their arrival in the capital city.

Only passengers who need to be accommodated on an emergency basis will be allowed to stay in hotels in Islamabad, said sources.

The Sindh government has been informed of the decision, which as per sources, has been taken due to security reasons.

Pakistan had agreed to welcome almost 4,000 Afghan citizens after the US and NATO requested the country to help with the evacuations, following the Taliban's takeover of Kabul.

The US Embassy had requested Pakistan to grant permission for transiting the passengers. It has been asked to allow transit passengers under three categories to help in the evacuation by August 31.

The categories include US diplomats, citizens, Afghan nationals and people from other countries.

An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 Afghan citizens, who supported the US and allied forces during their war with the Taliban, will be given Pakistan’s visa and brought to Karachi before their departure to the US after a month, The News reported Friday.

The Sindh government had made boarding and lodging arrangements for the Afghan citizens in Karachi.

As many as five flights carrying people from Afghanistan will land in Karachi, sources in the CAA said. The rest of the flights will land in Multan, Faisalabad, Islamabad and Peshawar, while Lahore has declined to provide this facility.

The Karachi commissioner had sent a letter to the Rangers, IG police, secretary of the health department and other agencies that an estimated 2,000 Afghans and diplomats will arrive from Afghanistan in the next couple of days.

GEO

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Amid government’s boasting of its efforts in the ongoing evacuation from Kabul, the opposition parties on Saturday expressed concerns over the ‘liberal’ visa policy adopted by the government, fearing infiltration of terrorists in the guise of transit passengers from Afghanistan.

Criticising the government for not taking the parliament and the opposition into confidence on the situation that emerged after the Aug 15 takeover of Kabul by the Taliban, the country’s major opposition parties raised questions over the government’s handling of the situation, stating that no one knows as to who is making decisions in this regard.

The opposition parties expressed concerns following reports that Pakistan was facilitating those Afghans and other foreigners who wanted to leave Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of most parts of the country and disclosure by federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry during a news conference in Karachi that Pakistan had so far evacuated more than 4,400 people from Afghanistan and as many as 27,000 people had entered Pakistan from Chaman and Torkham borders.

A massive exodus from the war-torn neighbouring country is expected following the Aug 26 blast outside the airport in Kabul resulting in the deaths of over 150 people. Islamabad’s administration had already reportedly taken control of all hotels in the capital for three weeks to arrange accommodation for foreigners being evacuated from Afghanistan. Security measures in and around the hotels have also been beefed up, with police and paramilitary personnel put on high alert.

Want strict monitoring of foreigners during transit stay

When most of the parties came out with a general reaction, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) stalwart Senator Raza Rabbani put specific questions before the government regarding its handling of the situation, particularly its visa policy for those entering the country from Afghanistan.

“It is a matter of concern that the government till date has not taken the people or the parliament into confidence on the rapidly developing Afghan situation,” said Mr Rabbani, adding that the matter of further concern for them is that the parliament has not been informed about the steps which the government has already taken or is taking in the wake of the emerging situation in Afghanistan, including granting of visas to those who wanted to leave the country.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Rabbani listed a number of questions which, according to him, the government needed to respond.

“What necessitated Pakistan being made a staging station for the exodus from Afghanistan?” he asked.

The PPP senator also asked the government to disclose the nationalities of the people being granted visas to enter Pakistan from Afghanistan and also about the duration and the type of visa being issued to them?

Mr Rabbani, who had also served as the Senate chairman, also asked the government to explain as to what safeguard measures it had taken to ensure that these people would leave Pakistan and would not mix with the local population.

More importantly, Mr Rabbani said the nation wanted to know as to what steps the government had taken to ensure that terrorists belonging to militant Islamic State (IS) group or Daesh did not infiltrate the country owing to this “liberal policy” of granting visas.

The PPP senator said these were basic questions and it was the right of every Pakistani to be informed about them as it would affect their lives and have a long-term bearing on the national security of the country.

In response to a question regarding the upcoming briefing of the members of three parliamentary committees by the military leadership on the Afghan situation at the army’s GHQ on Monday (tomorrow), the PPP senator termed it “insufficient”.

“The briefing to a selective group of parliamentarians will not serve the purpose,” declared Mr Rabbani, adding that it would create feelings among other parliamentarians that perhaps they were the children of a lesser god.

Objecting to the venue of the briefing, he said those who wanted to brief the parliamentary committees should appear before it as the committees very rarely visited places. Moreover, he recalled, in the past the military leadership had briefed the parliament many a times.

National interest
When contacted, secretary general of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Ahsan Iqbal said the government should keep the “national interest and humanity” in mind while granting visas to the people coming from Afghanistan.

Mr Iqbal, who had served as the interior minister in the PML-N government, said that the government should ensure tracking of those people who had entered Pakistan in transit visas and make sure that they left the country within the specific period. The PML-N leader said there should not be a “refugee exodus” as it would create further crisis for the country. He said it was the duty of the government to seek international support for the refugees as Pakistan would not be able to handle the situation on its own.

Another opposition party, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), also asked the government to provide the particulars of those who had been granted visas to stay for a month in the country.

“On which forum, the government has made the decision to allow 5,000 foreigners to Pakistan?” asked Asif Luqman Qazi, the head of the party’s foreign affairs wing in a statement.

“What is the surety that these foreigners will not become a threat for the country’s security like Raymond Davis? Has the US sought these kinds of arrangements with its strategic partner India?” asked Mr Qazi.

The leaders of the two nationalist parties —Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and Awami National Party (ANP) — were of the view that all those who wanted to come to Pakistan should be allowed to do so on humanitarian grounds.

Speaking at a news conference in Quetta, PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai said no country in the world stopped the people migrating due to Afghanistan-like situation. He said the people from Afghanistan were coming to Pakistan due to uncertain situation in their country.

Talking to Dawn, ANP’s information secretary Zahid Khan also said the government should allow those Afghans who wanted to leave their country, particularly after the recent blasts at the Kabul airport. He said they could not oppose the entry of the people from Afghanistan on humanitarian basis, adding that it was the duty of security agencies to monitor and screen those entering the country to prevent unwanted elements’ entry to the country.

Commenting on the other opposition parties’ demand for a parliament session, Mr Khan regretted that the parliament had never been a decision-making forum on key national issues, especially the foreign policy.

“Those who have been making policies for 40 years have never sought any help from the parliament. Now how can you ask them?” he said, adding that “all the decisions about Afghanistan are always made by the establishment”.

The ANP leader said that on the one hand, the government had announced that it would not provide space to the US and on the other hand, it was allowing them to use the country’s soil for evacuation.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2021

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan emerged at the centre stage of hectic global activities to safely evacuate the Western diplomats and their local helpers in Afghanistan, just weeks before the pull-out of all foreign troops after a long 20-year presence.

The country’s main Islamabad Airport has become hub of evacuation process, which had provided transit to more than 20,000 evacuees in 10 days after the fall of Kabul to Taliban, a gigantic effort praised in all the world capitals.

Now, when the evacuation process was winding down, a new effort is about to be launched – flying in the humanitarian supplies into the war-torn countries. Sources have said that the World Food Programme (WFP) has already issued an appeal to Pakistan for help.

Several world leaders have contacted Pakistan in the past two weeks, through telephone calls to Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. They have conveyed their appreciation of Pakistan’s support to the world in the evacuation process and efforts for Afghan peace.

In this regard, officials said that German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas would undertake an important visit to Pakistan next week. Earlier on August 21, Maas telephoned Qureshi and exchanged with him views on the situation in Afghanistan.

The sources said that in Islamabad, the German foreign minister would hold consultations with the Pakistani leadership on Afghan security and the establishment of a broad-based government. The evacuation of foreigners from Afghanistan would also be discussed during the visit, they added.

Taliban seized Kabul on August 15, two weeks before the deadline for the withdrawal of American forces from the country. The fall of the capital city triggered a wave of panic among foreigners as well some locals, who rushed to Kabul airport – the only escape route from the country.

The US forces, which has been in control of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, are coordinating the international flights, as well as their own military flights to take the passengers out of the country.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is also operating special flights as part of the evacuation mission.

Sources at the Islamabad Airport said that between the period of August 16 and 26, more than 20,000 passengers flew into the city onboard 332 coalition aircraft and special international flights operated by other airlines.

They added that the passengers included at-risk Afghans also. From Islamabad the passengers were leaving for different countries. They also said that flights operation was still continuing, ahead of the US drawdown deadline of August 31 (tomorrow).

On the other hand, the changing situation in Afghanistan, the United Nations Food Programme has also sought help from Pakistan. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), according to a notification, had approved conditional air operations for the WFP for Afghanistan.

The notification said that planes and helicopters would be used to deliver food to Kabul, while there would be a ban on carrying military equipment in the relief flights. The WFP would also pay a fixed fee for the operation.

According to civil aviation officials, the United Nations would have to provide full details of the food operation. They added that besides Islamabad, Peshawar airport would also be used to deliver. They said that 6 people would fly from Peshawar to Kabul by M18 helicopter.

 

[MenInG]

WASHINGTON: As Pakistan takes centre stage in the effort to evacuate stranded people from Afghanistan, the United States confirmed on Monday that it has facilitated the evacuation of four US citizens via the land route.

“Our embassy greeted the Americans as they crossed the border into the third country,” a senior US State Department official told CNN.

The official confirmed that these were the first four Americans that “we’ve facilitated in this manner” since the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. The official did not identify the country the US used to facilitate the evacuation, but Pakistan is the closest land route out of Afghanistan.

“We don’t know what route they used but we have no problem facilitating the evacuation of US citizens from Afghanistan,” Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Dr Asad Majeed Khan told Dawn. “Pakistan has been providing every support that it could to facilitate the evacuation of all those wanting to leave Afghanistan.”

Ambassador Khan said that so far more than 9,000 people had transited through Pakistan and Islamabad was still engaged with the international community to facilitate those evacuations.

Several US media outlets also carried out reports this week, underlining Pakistan’s central role in these evacuation efforts.

“The ‘story’ is moving inexorably to the next stage. The theme will be geography, and the major player will become Pakistan,” said one such report.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2021

 

[Lonewarrior]

 

[MenInG]

While images of desperate Afghan nationals trying to flee their country from Kabul International airport have dominated news, little has been known about the ground situation at Afghanistan's borders with Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Satellite images exclusive to NDTV show thousands stranded at Afghanistan's border with Pakistan just last week, desperately trying to leave.

The images focus on the ground situation at the Chaman border in Spin Boldak between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and clearly indicate a desperate rush to leave the country.

Apart from Spin Boldak, Afghanistan's key border crossings are Shir Khan on the border with Tajikistan, Islam Qala on the border with Iran and Torkham on the border with Pakistan.

The Chaman border at Spin Boldak features one of the busiest crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Traffic from Afghanistan has spiked over the past few weeks as families with bags, belongings and children, who have abandoned their homes in Kabul and other cities, wait at makeshift camps for their turn to cross over.

The Chaman border at Spin Boldak features one of the busiest crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Click here for high res image

The images, recorded on September 6, show massive crowds less than a week ago at this site, on the Afghanistan side. Pakistan closed down the Chaman border post recently.

The images match ground reports of thousands of Afghan nationals looking to escape Afghanistan and what they fear is the return of oppressive Taliban rule.

Afghans have been leaving the country by the droves since the Taliban's takeover last month. Though the hardline group has claimed more moderate policies this time, compared to their brutal regime 20 years ago, their claims on protecting women's rights have proved to be vastly different from ground realities.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/exc...-pak-border-2539507#pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

 

[MenInG]

UNITED NATIONS, UNITED STATES: Pakistan does not have the capacity to bear more Afghan refugees, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday.

Pakistan has time and again called on the international community to help the Afghans and unfreeze the country's assets abroad after the Taliban took over the country in mid-August in a lightning sweep.

The foreign minister met his counterpart on the sidelines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he informed him of Pakistan's stance on Afghanistan.

The foreign minister, during the meeting, said Pakistan was working towards averting a possible humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, as he called upon the international community to play a positive role and engage with the newly-formed Taliban government in Kabul.

The foreign minister told his counterpart that Pakistan aspires to promote trade, investment, and people-to-people contact with the United States.

After Blinken had said that Washington would reassess its relationship with Pakistan in the coming days, Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar On September 16 had said the United States's announcement was "surprising" as we have played a positive role in the Afghan peace process.

Meetings with Turkish, Saudi counterparts

Earlier, FM Qureshi had also met his Turkish and Saudi counterparts, where he had stressed sustained and positive engagement of the international community with the newly-established government in Afghanistan.

In his meeting with Çavuşoğlu, the foreign minister highlighted the need for sustained international engagement to support lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.

In addition to calling for the urgent provision of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, the foreign minister underscored the need for a coordinated approach to avert an economic collapse in Afghanistan.

He also highlighted that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan will contribute towards the promotion of connectivity and regional prosperity.

Similarly, in his meeting with the Saudi foreign minister, FM Qureshi stressed that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was of crucial importance for Pakistan and the region.

He added that sustained and positive engagement of the international community was critical for preventing a humanitarian crisis, averting an economic collapse, and supporting long-term development and stability in Afghanistan.
GEO

 

[PakLFC]

Where are the "thousands" of refugee's who have entered Pak since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan as we were told would happen?. Someone show me.

 

[MenInG]

Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmad announced on Wednesday that an online visa service launched for Afghans to replace the visa-on-arrival system will start functioning within a period of ten days.

Speaking to the media, the minister said that the government will utilise modern technology to obtain data and maintain complete records of entry and exit movements. He said that initially, the new visa regime will be applicable only on two borders, while the other five borders will be included later.

The government is also going to announce an amnesty to all visa-holders to submit an application by the 30th of next month and make sure their exit from Pakistan, he added.

“Otherwise, they have to face cases against them in Pakistan,” the interior minister warned, adding that that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been entrusted with the task to launch a crackdown on those involved in conning dollars.

The interior minister said that in the wake of altered geopolitical configurations in the region after the US' troops pullout from neighbouring Afghanistan, Pakistan was now scrambling for ways to act responsibly and make efforts to strengthen peace. He said that Pakistan’s military was carrying out its responsibility to safeguard the interests of the country and was fortifying the borders to protect every inch of the motherland.

However, Sheikh Rashid regretted that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was trying to malign state institutions for “petty political gains”, saying the party was bound to fail.

“Defeat was their fate and it will face same in future as well, as they are doing all this out of their hunger for power,” he added and advised PML-N’s supremo Nawaz Sharif to come back “if he wants a serious role in the country’s politics”.

Responding to a question regarding barring former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani from travelling abroad, Sheikh Rashid said that his name was placed on Exit Control List (ECL), however, he can approach the interior ministry or the court regarding the matter.