Khawaja Asif says Afghans would have to leave Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday said the situation with Afghanistan have reached a point where the Afghan nationals living in Pakistan would now have to return to their country.

Read more: ISPR to Afghan Taliban: Pakistan to continue neutralizing terror targets

The Pak-Afghan border should be a normal border like any other in the world, he said and added that no one should be allowed to cross the line without any check.

In a statement shared on X, Khawaja Asif was referring the unending series of terrorism acts inside Pakistan and latest attacks the Afghan Taliban carried out with the assistance of other terrorists groups they are housing in Afghanistan.

And the outspoken seasoned PML-N leader didn’t stop there as he also talked about the adverse effects on Pakistan’s social, economic and political fabric, with a special focus on economy.

“We have to end their control on our economy”, said the defence minister.

Khawaja Asif noted that the Afghan nationals were running the affairs from Tandoor and transport to construction — the sectors which he described as the backbone of Pakistan’s economy.

His comments about the economy came after ISPR Director General Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry earlier in the week said there was crimes-terrorism-politics nexus responsible for the current state of affairs.

Separately, defence analysts reminded the Afghan Taliban that only the US assistance had enabled the mujahedeen in Afghanistan to defeat the invading Soviets as Kabul continues housing, aiding, protecting and promoting terrorists groups that a grave threat to regional security.

Read more: Afghanistan told only US help enabled them defeat Soviets

The reminder was given as the Afghan Taliban — who are backing Al Qaeda, TTP, ETIM and many other groups — are getting more and more ambitious while banking on their “terrorism expertise and resources”. The latest affair with the Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi’s government in Indian is the prime example.