Pak won’t take refugees as more areas fall to Taliban, India calls back staff

Pakistan’s envoy to Kabul, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, called on the international community to help strengthen Afghanistan’s security forces, warning that a worsening situation in the country could trigger a fresh wave of refugees crossing into Pakistan.

Updated on: Jul 11, 2021, 02:15:11 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar, Kabul

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The international community raised the alarm on Saturday as Afghan troops rushed to retake the territory seized by Taliban, after the militant group intensified its offensive amid US troop withdrawal.

Former Mujahideen hold weapons to support Afghan forces in their fight against Taliban, on the outskirts of Herat province, Afghanistan July 10, 2021. (REUTERS)

Pakistan’s envoy to Kabul, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, called on the international community to help strengthen Afghanistan’s security forces, warning that a worsening situation in the country could trigger a fresh wave of refugees crossing into Pakistan. “If the situation continues to worsen and deteriorate in Afghanistan... there can be an influx of refugees because of very close cross-border cultural contexts and religious context existing between our two societies,” he said. Pakistan expects 500,000 refugees from Afghanistan, and authorities have said they’ll be kept in border camps.

Also read: Pak’s terror groups join Taliban war, India wary

Beijing, which has criticised Washington for its hasty withdrawal urged its citizens to leave the country “as soon as possible” after evacuating 210 nationals.

Late on Saturday, Indian officials said staff from the country’s consulate in Kandahar were on their way back on board a special Air India flight.

Apart from Kandahar, Indian officials are posted in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More