RAWALPINDI – An Afghan commander and 16 Afghan nationals were arrested during a search operation in the city late night, the sources said on Saturday.
The police and other law enforcement agencies conducted the search operation in different areas of Rawalpindi. The officials took key Afghan Commander Abdul Malik in the custody.
The sources said that 16 more Afghan nationals were arrested during the operation for illegally residing in Pakistan.
Commander Abdul Malik had previously served as a commander in Afghanistan during Ashraf Ghani’s government. After the fall of Ghani’s regime, he went missing from Afghanistan.
All arrested Afghan nationals including Abdul Malik were shifted to Haji Camp. They lacked any legal documentation for their stay in Pakistan and would be deported to Afghanistan.
On February 19, 2025, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said Afghan Charge d’ Affaires’ assertions regarding mistreatment of Afghan nationals are misplaced.
He said this in a statement, while responding to an Afghan Charge d’ Affaires’ remarks about Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP).
The Spokesperson reminds the Charge d’ Affaires that Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans for decades with respect and dignity, while extending traditional hospitality, sharing its resources and services such as education and health, even with very little international support.
Shafqat Ali Khan said as regards aliens, Pakistan started IFRP in 2023, and put in place appropriate mechanisms to ensure that no one is mistreated or harassed during the repatriation process.
In this connection, Pakistan also extensively engaged the Afghan side to ensure smooth repatriation of Afghan nationals.
While Pakistan has done what it could, Islamabad expects interim Afghan authorities to create conducive conditions in Afghanistan, so that these returnees are fully integrated in the Afghan society. The real test of Afghan authorities would be to ensure that rights of these people about whom the Afghan Charge d’ Affaires talked are protected in Afghanistan.
