QUETTA: Pakistan’s Information Minister Murtaza Solangi strongly reacted to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comments on the treatment of Afghan refugees, stating that the PTI founder was seeking sympathy from the interim Afghan government.
Addressing a press conference, Murtaza Solangi said that there might be an attempt by Imran Khan to create an environment to garner sympathy from the Afghan government. He raised concerns about the potential indirect involvement of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members sent by Afghanistan, aiming to influence the upcoming elections in favor of Imran Khan’s party.
The government launched a campaign in November to deport illegal foreign nationals, primarily Afghans.
Out of the over four million Afghans residing in Pakistan, the government estimates that 1.7 million lack proper documentation. Thousands of Afghans have voluntarily returned home through the Torkham and Chaman border crossings since the initiation of the repatriation process.
Solangi emphasized the need to inquire with the PTI founder and his associates about the agreement, or lack thereof, and whether Parliament was consulted when allowing “thousands of TTP terrorists” to resettle in Pakistan before the end of the PTI government’s term.
The information minister also questioned the authenticity of Imran’s post, stating that Imran Khan did not have the facility to post anything on social media. He questioned whether the statement had indeed been posted by Imran.
“If this is truly his opinion, I would have preferred him to address the challenges faced by 250 million Pakistanis instead of attempting to represent the illegal Afghans in Pakistan,” he remarked.
Solangi refuted the accusation in Imran’s post regarding the forced expulsion of Afghan refugees, describing it as “baseless.” He contended that the majority of the 500,000 who left did so willingly, with only a few thousand being forcefully expelled.
