'All Afghans must return home': Pak minister's blatant warning followed by India mention
PTC News Desk: Amid ongoing border clashes with Afghanistan, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned all the Afghans to leave the country and return to their homeland declaring that the era of old relations with Afghanistan is over.
“All Afghans residing on Pakistani soil must return to their homeland; they now have their own government, their own caliphate in Kabul,” Asif said in a post on social media. “Our land and resources belong to 250 million Pakistanis.”
The comments came amid rising tensions between the two neighbouring countries as a 48-hour ceasefire expired at 6 pm local time. However, reports indicated that the truce might have been extended, with both sides expected to hold talks in Doha to find a resolution. The Taliban, meanwhile, accused Islamabad of launching airstrikes in several districts of Paktika province along the Durand Line. Following the attacks, a senior Taliban official told AFP that the ceasefire had been “violated.”
“Pakistan can no longer afford to maintain relations with Kabul as it did in the past,” Asif wrote, adding that Islamabad had exercised “patience for years” but received no positive response from Afghanistan.
However, soon Khawaja's remarks had an India mention and alleged that Kabul has become 'proxy of India' and is conspiring against Pakistan along with New Delhi and banned Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP).
"The rulers of Kabul, who are now sitting in India's lap and conspiring against Pakistan, were once under our protection, hiding on our land," he claimed as he declared Islamabad "can no longer afford to have relations with Kabul like in the past".
The remarks came after Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi recently came to India on a six-day visit.
"All Afghans residing on Pakistani soil must return to their homeland; they now have their own government/caliphate in Kabul... Our land and resources belong to 250 million Pakistanis... Self-respecting nations do not thrive on foreign land and resources... Now they have their own government [or] caliphate in Kabul. It has been five years since the Islamic revolution ... they must live with Pakistan as neighbours," he said.
- With inputs from agencies
