COMMENT
K a t l a n g i n c i d e n t
On the face of it the Katlang operation on Saturday was straightforward it was another intelligence-based operation one of many that have been conducted and which have resulted in the killing of religious militants However was it another such operation, or was it a case of innocent shepherds being killed in their grazing area? is there any mystery to the incident, and will the inquiry promised by KP cM Ali Amin Gandapur yield any result? Under the circumstances, is it even needed? The whole incident seems to have become, like everything else, a political football it also seems to have become, a little unusually, an excuse for the PTi’s federal and provincial leaders to wash dirty linen in public This is in addition to the federal information Minister claiming that there were no civilian casualties and the KP government spokesman insisting that there were it does seem counterintuitive that where the military operation against the hijackers of the Jaffer express should have been carried out without any civilian casualties, the same military should have got it so badly wrong The Federal information Minister s claim is therefore understandable However, the whole episode once again puts under spotlight the question of the PTi s attitude towards terrorism it should be noted that the PTi insists that there should be no fresh operation, especially in KP, where it controls the provincial government, even though that province is perhaps the worst hit by terrorism, certainly by religious militants’ terrorism even the Katlang incident was against religious militants There is clearly a difference of approach between the PTi and the government though the former ’s refusal to attend the national Security committee over the train deprived it of the opportunity to make that difference known to the general public
The proposed inquiry may end up going into unhelpful areas, such as the amount of control exerted by each link in the chain of command, without resolving the issue certainly, no one thinks the war against the terrorists should be conducted at the cost of the very citizenry the war is being fought for, but at the same time, no one should argue that terrorism should be shown any leniency if any law has been broken due remedy should be made but the tried and tested accountability mechanisms should not be interfered with
Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
M A Niazi Editor Pakistan Today Babar Nizami Editor Profit
e t a n y
domestic intelligence agency who was faulting him for the October 7 attack And he was in a position to once again advance his
islative efforts to reform what he views as the obstacles presented by israel s pesky judiciary Further compounding netanyahu’s dilemma were the expectations created once the implementation of the ceasefire agreement began The world witnessed the powerfully moving scenes of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians trekking northward to return to their demolished homes and communities in the north of Gaza compassion grew for Palestinians as did revulsion for the gratuitous devastation wrought by israel’s bombardments
There were other factors that weighed heav-
Mi c e so long as they keep finding food in a nook go to it again and again cats once they get a shock upon touching an electric fence refrain from repeating the act for a while From their experiences and observations, animals figure out how the world works and regulate their conduct accordingly Human beings do the same, but they do more: They tend to make general theories out of specific instances This sort of abstract thinking with intricate and often lengthy successions of links between the various causes and effects in the chain of reasoning is one of the hallmarks of homo sapiens in fact, human beings are rarely content with the ‘how’ They also venture into why things happen the way they do However that discussion– important that it no doubt is– is for another day Returning to the theorizing nature of human beings it is without doubt a good thing: the spectacular human progress would have been impossible without it However, there is a flip side to it For this theorizing instinct on the part of human beings often ends up doing them more harm than good All the ‘rational animal’ propaganda notwithstanding the average human intelligence is not something to write home about Therefore if something makes sense to an average human being especially if it is even moderately complicated (on account of its subtlety or the large number of intermediate links involved), the chances are that the hypothesis is silly Little wonder that the man or the woman who comes up with it believes it is brilliant But such a high estimation of it on the part of a not-so-bright individual alone should be enough to alert the audience regarding the dopiness of its contents it was not long after the Scientific Revolution that serious scientists realized that there was way too much theorizing going on and that something needed to be done about it What had been happening was that every self-proclaimed scientist was proposing this that or the other scientific theory and the frequency of such events was alarming to say the least Soon the scientific community had to announce that in future it will not as much as hear any new theory unless it was accompanied by a falsification test– a concrete set of conditions that would disprove it once for all Stubborn folks still propose their theories but the frequency of
ily on netanyahu in this period Hamas, as expected, overplayed its hand with disgraceful scenes of bravado during each of the hostage releases Most likely done out of a need to demonstrate control its behaviour was stupid and provocative especially in the face of the enormity of the suffering endured by their people One might reasonably ask Hamas leadership, How many times can you foolishly kick the hornets nest before you understand the consequences of your actions?” Gaza’s Palestinians who our polling establishes have long had unfavourable views toward Hamas are now demonstrating their anger at both israel and Hamas But the last thing netanyahu wants is an alternative Palestinian leadership in Gaza, as that would threaten his continuation of the conflict and his rule The ceasefire agreement of January 19 included three phases with the second and third phases ultimately leading to an israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war As the negotiations themselves had already cost netanyahu coalition partners, he promised his allies that he would never allow the process to get to phase two As a result, early in the implementation of phase one netanyahu began seeking an escape claiming that Hamas was violating the terms of the agreement and pressing unacceptable demands that he sought to add to the first phase Then came the Arab peace plan to end the conflict The plan, which would fulfill phase three of the ceasefire agreement, called for an israeli withdrawal from Gaza the positioning of an Arab/international peacekeeping force the establishment of Palestinian governance linked to the Palestinian Authority and a plan to reconstruct Gaza This Arab plan has won broad international support and, if adopted, would have spelled the end of netanyahu’s reign in israel in the face of all these challenges, netanyahu felt compelled to break the ceasefire The renewed campaign has been a ruthless continuation of genocide For one month now israel has withheld entry of all aid and medical personnel from the north of Gaza, implementing what
such occurrences has gone down considerably due to the indifference of the scientific community even bad science necessitates some amount of hard work, so the average man rarely ventures into the scientific domain anyway– God be thanked for it But he has a field day when it comes to medicine: ‘Vegetable X (or Verse Y) is good for Hepatitis c because Aunty Zohra got cured when she strictly followed the regimen for 21 days kind of stuff One wonders what food item cures credulity To be fair to these theorists however, most of such stuff, even if it is not beneficial, is harmless Secondly, their theorizing is justified, considering that medicine itself is essentially an anecdotal– experience-based– ‘science’ (the same sort of activity that the armchair theorist is involved in albeit on a much larger scale) Thirdly the efficacy of placebos is beyond doubt provided the patient sincerely believes in their medicinal power Finally these folks are usually well-intentioned, which gives a much more favourable colour to the whole activity Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of all compulsive theorizers The most irritating breed is the one that chooses the moral domain for its theorizing The format of such theories is invariant: This action ultimately results in that (wholly deserved) predicament Many of these formulas, in isolation, make a great deal of sense But since no amount of thought is involved in formulating the overall ‘worldview’, some of these ‘laws’ are at odds with the others The presenter never notices the discrepancy because at any
The beauty of it all (and the reason for the undying popularity of such theories) is that any moral lessons need to be heeded by others, while the observer is in the happy position of
A new frontier in geopolitical tensions
was once termed the General s plan of starving the Palestinians in that area, forcing them to leave The israelis have also continued their bombing campaign, taking the lives of hundreds They have retaken areas of Gaza, promising to annex them to israel and are exploring plans to forcibly evict Palestinians from Gaza to both sabotage any effort to allow for Palestinian governance and facilitate israel s conquest and annexation of more of Gaza s land While netanyahu claims that his goal is the elimination of Hamas, the evidence is clear that his real intention is to save himself and his government and in this he
are demonstrating in opposition to netanyahu because he is risking the lives of israeli hostages still held in Gaza it is time for Arabs to unite in defence of the Palestinian people and their own peace plan to end the genocide
The writer is President Arab American Institute
ZOGBy
India’s sham democracy
Ademocracy in name but a tyranny in practice India s descent into authoritarianism under the cloak of democratic pretence is one of the most glaring hypocrisies of our time The world, often swayed by India’s carefully curated image of a pluralistic state, continues to turn a blind eye to the deepseated reality of systemic oppression religious persecution and expansionist ambitions that define the Modi regime Beneath the façade of the world s largest democracy lies a ruthless machinery driven by Hindutva ideology one that crushes dissent within suffocates minorities and actively destabilizes its neighbors through covert operations and hybrid warfare Far from the ideals it professes India has weaponized democracy as a shield to mask its authoritarian tendencies, allowing its ruling elite to evade global scrutiny while perpetrating rampant human rights abuses From the draconian suppression of Kashmiri Muslims to the targeted harassment of Christians and Dalits the country has institutionalized discrimination emboldened by an ultranationalist government that thrives on divisive politics As global institutions remain complicit either out of strategic interest or sheer indifference and India’s reckless trajectory continues unchecked The world watches as jingoism militarism and majoritarianism reshape the Subcontinent, threatening both regional stability and the very democratic values India falsely claims to champion If the international community remains silent it will not merely be an enabler but an accomplice in legitimizing India s
transformation into an authoritarian state India’s attempts to deflect attention from its abysmal human rights record by projecting baseless allegations onto Pakistan exemplify its deep-seated hypocrisy The recent exchange of words between the Indian Foreign Minister and Pakistan’s Foreign Office underscores New Delhi’s desperation to divert international scrutiny Yet the reality is stark and undeniable: India s state machinery has long been complicit in fostering an environment of oppression particularly against Muslims, Christians, and other marginalized communities Various international human rights bodies, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have meticulously documented these injustices exposing the chasm between India s rhetoric and its grim realities
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) World Report 2025 lays bare India s institutionalized discrimination against its 200-million-strong Muslim population Arbitrary arrests, police brutality mob lynchings and the draconian use of anti-terror laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) highlight how the Indian government systematically marginalizes its minorities The report also underscores the egregious suppression of dissent, with journalists and activists facing arrests raids and fabricated charges
Beyond its borders India’s extrajudicial killings and assassination plots targeting Sikh activists and dissidents abroad further expose its global misconduct The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended sanctions against India’s external intelligence agency for its involvement in such crimes Coupled with Amnesty International s reports on India s weaponization of hate speech and digital surveillance these revelations dismantle any pretence of India being a beacon of human rights The Modi regime s Hindutva-driven politics have led to a systematic erasure of pluralism, with historical narratives rewritten to serve the ruling party’s ultra-nationalist agenda
The abrogation of Article 370 in Occupied Kashmir stands as another testament to India s blatant disregard for human rights Kashmir remains the most militarized region in the world, suffering enforced disappearances, custodial killings, and the systematic targeting of Kashmiri Muslims The United Nations and various global watchdogs have
V o i c e o f A m e r i c a i s b r o k e n a n d c a n ’ t b e r e f o r m e d
repeatedly condemned India’s actions yet the repression continues unabated under the guise of internal affairs This aggressive suppression of Kashmiri voices directly contradicts India s claims of being a protector of minority rights
On the legislative front, India’s enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019 further exposed its anti-Muslim sentiment The law fast-tracks citizenship for non-Muslims from neighbouring countries, institutionalizing religious discrimination in a nation that claims secularism Simultaneously, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) threatens to render millions of Muslims stateless creating a looming humanitarian crisis These discriminatory policies have been widely condemned, yet India remains defiant in its march toward majoritarianism India’s treatment of Christians is no less alarming Anti-conversion laws serve as tools of persecution fueling attacks on churches and false accusations against missionaries Amnesty International has documented cases of Christians facing harassment and violent assaults by Hindutva extremist mobs, often with police inaction or complicity The rise in hate crimes and the absence of judicial accountability reveal the double standards of India’s legal system selectively shielding its Hindu majority while allowing violence against religious minorities to flourish India s brazen attempts to silence dissent, both domestically and internationally, have drawn severe condemnation from media watchdogs like Reporters Without Borders (RSF) The Modi government’s relentless crackdown on journalists particularly those exposing corruption and human rights violations exemplifies its authoritarian trajectory The infamous tax raids on BBC offices in India, following its critical documentary on Modi’s role in the 2002 Gujarat riots sent a chilling message to independent media International organizations including Reuters and Voice of America (VOA) have documented instances of journalists facing harassment, intimidation, and fabricated legal cases designed to suppress critical reporting India’s press freedom rankings continue to plummet, exposing its hostility toward independent journalism India s interference beyond its borders further exposes its destabilizing ambitions It has long been accused of meddling in Afghanistan s internal affairs, using its intelligence agency, RAW, to manipulate factions
and undermine Pakistan s diplomatic efforts Reports have also surfaced regarding India s covert operations against Iran, attempting to sabotage regional stability for its own strategic gains RAW’s hybrid warfare tactics extend to international forums where India engages in disinformation campaigns to discredit Pakistan and disrupt its relations with key allies Amid this glaring record of abuses, India audaciously lectures Pakistan on minority rights Despite its own challenges, Pakistan has made significant strides in protecting its minorities Legislative measures ensure the safety and security of Christian Hindu and Sikh communities with the government actively fostering interfaith harmony The Kartarpur Corridor stands as a testament to Pakistan’s commitment to religious inclusivity, providing Sikh pilgrims open access to their holy sites
Pakistan s strong rebuttal to the Indian Foreign Minister s baseless accusations was not only necessary but a reaffirmation of truth India s desperate attempts to demonize Pakistan on the international stage stem from its own fear of accountability The Modi government’s divisive policies have drawn global criticism yet
L e P e n ’ s c o n v i c t i o n w i l l f u e l E u r o p e ’ s f a r r i g h t
The sentencing of far-right politician Marine Le Pen for embezzling EU funds will not only change the 2027 race for the French presidenc y, it also risks emboldening antiestablishment narratives across Europe and the US
legion I spent a lot of my time battling lawsuits from bureaucrats Agency staff worked against my attempts to get them to live up their charter They enlisted the support of pro bono lawyers, members of Congress, biased judges and a media willing to distort the truth Whatever changes we did make were quickly reversed by the Biden administration Any new team Mr Trump brings in now would face the same organized coalition of forces, inside and outside the agency, ready to fight any reform, with the bureaucrats planning to outlast them We are in a war of ideas against powerful enemies around the world To fight for American ideals we need all the tools of public diplomacy including international broadcasting reconceived and reimagined Any plan going forward will have to take into account three big stumbling blocks, beyond waste, fraud and abuse The first is bias U S Agency for Global Media journalists seek to emulate CNN or the New York Times which they consider sources of objective news But they now work for a Republican president whom they despise Given the state of the media in recent years it s much harder to find journalists that report news that is truly accurate, objective, and comprehensive The second is the absence of agreed upon American ideals During the Cold War there was a loose consensus about promoting the values of democracy and freedom against communist totalitarianism abroad Not so today Americans no longer agree on basic principles Those on the left believe in equity, measured in terms of racially proportional results, while those on the right believe in equality of opportunity and a colorblind society Which ideals should international broadcasting promote? The third issue is the new-media landscape VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty were created during and after World War II to pierce the Iron Curtain Their mission was to get truth to subjugated populations starving for news This is still true in some parts of the world Nowadays
running for public office for five years As the latter part of the sentence was immediately enforced even though Le Pen has already announced her intention to appeal, the leader of the far-right National Rally (RN) party is barred from the 2027 presidential race Only an accelerated appeal that would clear her name in the next 18 months an unlikely scenario would allow her to participate This decision will reverberate across French politics and influence the battle of narratives over the state of democracy in the West It will further legitimise the already widespread claim promoted by the US administration that elites have taken over Western political systems and have fundamentally skewed it against the will of ordinary people Populist forces on both sides of the Atlantic have plenty to gain From Viktor Orban and Matteo Salvini to Geert Wilders and Vladimir Putin s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov far-right politicians have rushed to support Marine Le Pen publicly and denounce what they see as a violation of democratic norms” As the son of the US president, Donald Trump Jr , posted on X, this shows, in their view, that “JD Vance was right about everything” referring to the US vice-president’s speech at the Munich Security Conference that suggested Europe was silencing populist opposition
THE WAY TO 2027: In France, the conviction reinforces the Le Pen s party s claims of judicial bias and persecution by the political mainstream The party doubled down on this narrative after the 2024 legislative election when tactical voting for other parties prevented the RN from securing the premiership even though party won 37% of the popular vote in the second round much ahead of the centrist and leftist coalitions
For RN, Le Pen s ruling only strengthens their argument that the system is rigged against them, a narrative that could galvanise their base heading into 2027 or earlier It also provides a great opportunity to lock arms with the global Trump-inspired movement However despite the advantage of firing up supporters the sentencing poses major challenges to the party It contradicts Le Pen s 13-year-old strategy to normalise the National Rally from the extremist roots of her father s National Front into a regular hard-right party ready to govern The strategy of the cravate”, which consists of adopting the sartorial and behavioral customs of mainstream parties to legitimise the RN’s capacity to govern would be deeply damaged by expected outcries of manipulation over the verdict In addition the RN seems to have poorly anticipated the outcome of the trial Le Pen has not fully prepared her legacy and succession, and the party may not be able to survive without her popularity Jordan Bardella, RN’s leader, will likely take over as the party’s presidential
seizing on Le Pen’s conviction to argue that centrist elites in Europe are using legal mechanisms to suppress popular opposition On both sides of the Atlantic this could further polarise narratives between the far right and the political mainstream on the nature of democratic governance
The broader European consequences of this decision
wasn t very different, describing the reaction of liberals as hypocrisy ) As with Trump’s legal troubles in the US, Le Pen’s conviction could serve as a rallying cry for the far right and populist forces across the West who will now be able to
hotel worker was extracted by a joint Myanmar-Turkish team shortly after midnight the fire service and junta said Dazed and dusty but conscious the man was pulled
that Indian policy based on intransigence rigidity and violence is the main hurdle in peaceful settlement of the long-pending Kashmir dispute According to Kashmir Media Service, the APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas in a statement in Srinagar said that India can’t change the disputed nature of Jammu and Kashmir through propaganda and repression The Kashmiris struggle for securing their right to self-determination will continue till the implementation of the United Nations resolutions, he added The UN resolutions reaffirm the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination he said The statement demanded unconditional release of all illegally detained Hurriyat leaders and activists languishing in different jails of India and the occupied territory The spokesman said that Kashmir is a disputed territory and all those detained for struggling for freedom of their motherland are political prisoners and could not be held for whole life or treated like criminals He said that the political prisoners were periodically released in all the disputed regions of the world but the Indian authorities did not pay any heed to the international principles Minhas maintained that those who adhering to the Kashmiris right to self-determination had nothing to do with terrorism They are people with solid ideology and punishing them is clear violation of the international laws ” he added He said that India could not change the disputed nature of Kashmir by illegal and unilateral actions like that of 5th August 2019 and the Kashmiris cry for right to self-determination couldn’t be silenced through such actions He urged India to revert its 5th August 2019 decision to keep Kashmiris identity intact till the UNsupervised plebiscite is held Three Indian forces personnel were killed and several others injured in an attack in Kathua district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir
through a hole in the rubble and put on a stretcher a video posted on Facebook by the Myanmar Fire Services Department showed With patchy communication and infrastructure delaying efforts to gather information and deliver aid, the full scale of the disaster has yet to become clear, and the toll is likely to rise
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported severe damage in the city of Sagaing citing local rescuers saying one in three houses there have collapsed Healthcare facilities damaged by the quake and with limited capacity are overwhelmed by a large number of patients , while supplies of food, water and medicine are running low, WHO said in an update
Sagaing has seen some of the heaviest fighting in Myanmar ’s civil war and AFP journalists have not been able to reach the area Relief groups say the overall quake response has been hindered by continued fighting between the junta and the complex patchwork of armed groups opposed to its rule, which began in a 2021 coup
Julie Bishop, the UN special envoy on Myanmar, called on all sides to “focus their efforts on the protection of civilians, including aid workers, and the delivery of life-saving assistance” Even before Friday’s earthquake 3 5 million people were displaced by the fighting many of them at risk of hunger according to the United Nations Late on Tuesday an alliance of three of Myanmar s most powerful ethnic minority armed groups announced a one-month pause in hostilities to support humanitarian efforts in response to the quake The announcement by the Three Brotherhood Al-
liance followed a separate partial ceasefire called by the People’s Defence Force civilian groups that took up arms after the coup to fight junta rule
But there have been multiple reports of junta air strikes against rebel groups since the quake Myanmar s junta said today its troops fired warning shots at a Chinese Red Cross aid convoy, underlining the challenge of delivering relief amid a civil war
The military has struggled to run Myanmar following its coup against the elected civilian government of Nobel
and a
team
in the air after the convoy which included local vehicles failed to stop
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the aid team and supplies were safe and called on all parties in Myanmar to ensure the safety of rescuers It s necessary to keep transportation routes for relief efforts open and unobstructed,” Guo Jiakun told a press conference
The rural parts of hard-hit Sagaing region were mostly under the control of armed resistance groups fighting the military government the International Crisis Group (ICG) said They will be among the most challenging for aid agencies to reach, given regime restrictions, a complex configuration of local administrations and control by armed resistance groups, and the persistent conflict,” it added in a statement
Uproar in Lok Sabha as SP leads Opposition protest over Waqf Bill
Two long-serving aides of Israel s Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu were remanded in custody for three days after Israeli police arrested them for alleged unlawful ties between the senior aides and Qatar, a case that has become known as ‘QatarGate’ media reports said Netanyahu testified on Monday in the probe which alleged payments from Qatar to some of his aides an investigation he denounced as politically motivated
The two aides, Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein, were arrested earlier on Monday The arrests ratchet up political tensions in the country where the government is trying to fire both the domestic security chief and attorney general while expanding the power of politicians over the appointment of judges
The moves have reignited a protest movement in Israel, coinciding with the government s resumption of fighting this month in the Gaza Strip
Feldstein had separately been arrested late last year and released into house arrest on accusations of leaking a classified document related to hostage negotiations in Gaza to shift critical media coverage of the Israeli leader
As soon as I was asked to testify, I said that I was free and that I wanted to testify immediately, Netanyahu said in a video statement
“I understood that it was a political investigation but I didn’t realise how political it was and they are holding Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein hostage There is no
case, there is absolutely nothing, just a political witch hunt, nothing else ” Netanyahu is separately on trial over corruption allegations that he denies Israeli media reported that a journalist from a prominent local publication had also been summoned for questioning in the case Qatar, a gas-rich Gulf state, has no diplomatic ties with Israel and has long hosted leaders of Palestinian group Hamas “The brutal arrest of Yonatan Urich marks a new low in the political witch hunt to topple a right-wing prime minister and to prevent the dismissal of the failed head of the Shin Bet, said a statement released by Likud, Netanyahu s political party
Two weeks ago, the Israeli government unanimously approved Netanyahu’s proposal to fire Ronen Bar the head of the Shin Bet Israel’s internal security agency The Supreme Court froze Bar s dismissal and is to hold a detailed hearing on the case on April 8 Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara who is facing a similar dismissal, said the top court s initial ruling prevents the hiring of a new security chief, but Netanyahu did so anyway on Monday In its statement on Monday the Likud party linked the QatarGate investigations to efforts to prevent Bar and Baharav-Miara s dismissals saying for weeks the prosecution and the head of the Shin Bet have been conducting baseless investigations in the dark under a gag order, trying to prevent the dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet while using Urich and others as cannon fodder”
Sufferings of small children are unbearable and the Punjab government will pay all expenses of their heart surgeries said Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz while appreciating a unique record of conducting more than 3,000 children s heart surgeries in just six months under Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Program “Children have the first right on government s resources everyone is like my own children she highlighted adding that under the program 3 162 children have underwent successful heart surgeries and interventions The Chief Minister said, “Children from other provinces are also benefitting from the first and comprehensive Chief Minister s free Children s Heart Surgery Program She noted Teams of foreign children s heart surgeons are visiting Punjab every month CM Maryam Nawaz was briefed by the authorities concerned A team of British doctors has recently performed heart surgery of children at Faisalabad Cardiology Institute They said, 7,436 child patients have been registered from across Pakistan under Chief Minister ’s Children’s Heart Surgery Program ” They added Children from other provinces are also being provided free heart surgeries under the Program She was apprised, 316 children from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 51 from Sindh, 11 from Balochistan, 158 from Azad Kashmir and 30 from Gilgit-Baltistan
g Defence Czar rules out any talks with BLA due to its involvement in terrorist activities, killing of innocent labourers
g Assures centre will extend full support to Balochistan government and fulfill all genuine demands of the province
Deadline for Afghan refugees expires, repatriation process begins
ISLAMABAD N e w S D e S k
The deadline for Afghan refugees staying in Pakistan expired on March 31 and the process of repatriating Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders and illegal refugees has commenced from April 1 Food and healthcare arrangements have been made for returning Afghan nationals Authorities have warned of strict punitive action against individuals who remain in the country after the deadline Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior had instructed Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders to leave the country by March 31
The repatriation of Afghan nationals began on April 1, with the implementation of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program (IFRP) that began in November 2023 The government had provided ample time for the voluntary return of these individuals which will continue until March 31 2025 After that date deportation will proceed
The interior ministry emphasized that no one would be mistreated during the repatriation process and that sufficient provisions for food and healthcare for returning refugees had been made Pakistan reiterated its commitment to fulfilling its obligations as a responsible host nation while also stressing the importance of legal compliance for foreign nationals residing in the country Since November 2023 over 886 000 Afghan nationals who were living illegally in Pakistan have voluntarily returned to Afghanistan However, an estimated 3 million Afghans remain in Pakistan, including many who have been living in the country for years with some never having lived in Afghanistan
Amnesty International has criticized Pakistan s repatriation plan calling it opaque and expressing
Punjab Police officer
concerns that the March 31 deadline could worsen the refugees situation Pakistan continues to host 2 1 million documented Afghan refugees, with around 1 3 million holding Proof of Registration cards, primarily residing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The repatriation process is part of Pakistan’s broader security measures in response to terrorist activities attributed to groups operating from Afghan soil In addition to the repatriation Pakistan also sought information on Afghan students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to update the Foreign National Security Cell’s database
The repatriation of Afghan refugees has been a contentious issue with the Taliban urging for a gradual and structured return process to avoid forced deportations and to consider the challenges faced by returnees in Afghanistan
Pakistan has been home to a significant number of Afghan refugees for several decades The majority of these refugees arrived in Pakistan during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s and many have since settled in the country particularly in provinces like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) which borders Afghanistan Over the years the number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan has fluctuated, and estimates suggest that at one point, over 3 million Afghans were living in Pakistan, with both documented and undocumented status
Pakistan hosts about 2 1 million documented Afghan refugees many of whom hold a Proof of Registration (PoR) card However a large number of Afghan nationals also live in Pakistan without proper legal documentation Over the years, Pakistan has periodically provided registration and temporary legal status to Afghan refugees, but many have remained in the country without proper legal documentation or
with expired status
The issue of Afghan refugees has become increasingly contentious in recent years due to security concerns, especially after the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2021 Pakistan has faced growing pressure both internally and internationally to manage its Afghan refugee population Pakistan s security agencies have linked some of the terrorist activities in the country to groups operating from Afghan soil, and Pakistan has argued that a significant portion of the terrorist threat stems from Afghanistan-based elements
In response Pakistan announced the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program (IFRP) in 2023 which aimed to repatriate all illegal foreign nationals including Afghan refugees living in the country This initiative was initially focused on undocumented refugees, but in 2024, the government extended it to include Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders those who had been granted temporary registration status
phasized the need for Afghan refugees to return to their home country and warned of deportation after a grace period The deadline for voluntary return was set for March 31, 2025 After this, deportation would begin for those who remain in the country without legal status
in the force showcasing her as an exemplary figure in the police community
on the path of further development
