Sajjad Haider Khan, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, said at a news conference that a proposal to transit more than 150 Afghan nationals through Pakistan was under careful review, and that all aspects of the matter were being examined in coordination with the relevant parties.
The proposal is part of Donald Trump’s administration’s plan to tighten immigration measures. Afghan Evac, an organization that assists Afghans who previously worked with the U.S. military, warns that these individuals could face life-threatening risks if returned to Afghanistan because of their ties to U.S. forces.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry—the Taliban government—reaffirmed its readiness to accept the return of its citizens, but warned countries hosting the migrants, saying: “The fate of our citizens must not be used as a pressure card to achieve political gains.”
The diplomatic activity comes as relations between Islamabad and Kabul have experienced heightened tensions following bloody clashes along the border last October. Despite the Taliban’s promise of a general amnesty, the United Nations has referred in its reports to documented human rights violations and extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan.
