Peshawar: Pakistan’s “brotherly relations” with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan are set to be hit badly as it has launched a massive drive to evict Afghan refugees on the pretext that several among them are involved in terrorism in the country.
The Pakistani move has angered the Taliban regime, which described the decision as “barbaric” and “inhuman” and said it will hurt the bilateral relations.
The move has also been slammed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has asserted that the victimisation of Pashtuns by the Pakistani regime will not be tolerated.
According to reports, Pakistan has already evicted 23,000 refugees forcibly through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings.
The expulsion campaign follows weeks of drive to round up Afghans across Pakistan and their torture by the Pakistani armed forces.
Taliban regime’s Defence Minister Mullah Yaqub Mujahid today said Pakistan’s decision to expel Afghan refugees was “barbaric”, “inhuman” and “unfair”.
Warning that the development will worsen the bilateral relations, he said the people of Pakistan, its religious scholars and prominent political figures should protest and stop the move.
Mujahid also asked Afghan businessmen, having investments in Pakistan, to transfer their finances to their home country.
Meanwhile, TTP has also issued a statement, saying the move by Pakistani regime demonstrated its “all-out hostility towards Pashtuns”.
The Pakistani decision is “illegal, immoral and cruel”, TTP said in the statement issued by its spokesman Muhammad Khurasani.
“And at the same time, this decision is a conspiracy to destabilize the neighboring Islamic country of Afghanistan and make it an enemy of Pakistan forever,” it said.
“Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan wants to inform the people of Pakistan that the incompetent rulers imposed on the beloved homeland want to push Pakistani nations into an endless war of nationality by making such decisions,” the spokesman said.
He underlined that Pashtuns constitute the second largest population of Pakistan and they have made eternal sacrifices since the birth of the country in 1947.
The TTP spokesman said the “cruel” decision will bring under its ambit a large number of Pashtuns, who have been living in Pakistan but have “Afghan” written on their Identity cards instead of the nationality Pakistan.
“So it seems the cruel security agencies (of Pakistan) are going to remove Pashtuns by this way (under the pretext of expelling Afghan refugees),” he said.
“Since last month, Pashtuns are being martyred and arrested in the name of terrorism, put in jails along with women and children. This action is not acceptable in any case,” the TTP said.
“And this attack of these illegitimate rulers on the honor and dignity of Pashtuns will be stopped in any case, God willing,” it said.
“Pashtuns are settled all over the world and the Pashtuns of Pakistan and Afghanistan are connected in a centuries-old relationship. They are present on both sides (of the border),” the TTP said.
“Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Pashtun nation will not accept the heinous conspiracy to divide this nation and seize their properties and this oppressed nation will not be deprived of its right,” it added.
“We want to ask the entire Pakistani nation to rise against the rulers imposed on this country (who are trying to divide the Pakistani society) and support the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, so that this oppressive group imposed on Pakistan will be defeated,” it said.
“And they can get rid of their cruel illegal system and all the nationals living in Pakistan can enjoy their legitimate rights,” the TTP said.
