Pakistan urges Afghan refugees to return to their homeland.

Khawaja Asif – (Special Correspondent / Web Desk) – Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has launched a harsh attack on former Prime Minister Imran Khan, accusing him of importing “thousands of Taliban” to Pakistan and enabling them to stay there.
In a post on X (previously Twitter), Asif stated that Pakistan is currently experiencing the fatal consequences of those actions, as the country continues to suffer from terrorism and militancy.

Asif claimed that even today, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continues to advocate for talks with militant groups. He condemned the stance, emphasizing that the country has already endured years of violence and loss due to failed peace efforts.

“For years, the blood of our army and people has been shed,” Asif said. “Despite talks with the Afghan government and delegations going to Kabul, the bloodshed in Pakistan has not stopped.”

The minister lamented that Pakistan has been hosting Afghan refugees for decades but is now “paying the price of 60 million Afghan refugees for 60 years of hospitality with our own blood.”

He described the ongoing wave of terrorist attacks as an unbearable burden and urged that it was time for Afghan nationals to return to their homeland.

“It is time for the Afghan guests to go home and stop this gratuitous and benevolent killing,” he added. “What kind of guests are these who shed the blood of their hosts and provide shelter to murderers?”

Asif’s remarks come amid escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, following a surge in terror incidents across the border regions. Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused elements operating from Afghan soil of orchestrating attacks against its security forces.

The government recently announced stricter measures against undocumented migrants, further fueling a national debate over the future of Afghan refugees in the country.

On Thursday, the defense minister told the National Assembly that Pakistan’s patience had been exhausted and those who shelter terrorists “will have to answer”.  He proposed sending a delegation to Afghanistan next week and urged federal and provincial governments to unite behind the armed forces.
According to Khawaja Asif, Islamabad must inform Afghan authorities that terrorism committed on Afghan soil “is now intolerable.” He recalled an official visit to Afghanistan three years ago, accompanied by the DG ISI, during which Pakistan warned that terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan land were being utilized to conduct attacks on Pakistani districts.
According to Asif, Afghan interlocutors reportedly offered to evacuate those sanctuaries for a payment of Rs10 billion, but Islamabad demanded guarantees that terrorists would not return, which Afghanistan could not provide.

The defense minister recalled recent battlefield losses, saying two officers and nine soldiers were martyred on Wednesday, and highlighted the deep pain among the families of the martyrs. He urged both federal and provincial authorities to stand with the Pakistan Army and remove political differences in the face of the threat.

“Be it federal or provincial, everyone should stand with the forces,” he said, stressing that national unity is indispensable to end the scourge of terrorism.

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Asif warned that whether shelters exist on Pakistan’s soil or in Afghanistan, those providing sanctuary will be held accountable. “Wherever there are shelters, they will have to suffer,” he said, adding that the patience of the Pakistani government and the armed forces has reached its limit and that there will be no more concessions for terrorists.

He framed the proposed Kabul delegation as a diplomatic effort to press Afghan authorities for action and guarantees—signaling a mix of diplomacy and firm resolve.