“Pakistan will decide who stays and who does not,” says FO

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said that the issue of Afghan refugees has remained part of the agenda in discussions between the leadership of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Briefing journalists, he said that undocumented individuals will be repatriated, stressing that decisions regarding who can stay in Pakistan will be made solely by the Pakistani state. “This is Pakistan’s territory; we will decide who stays and who does not,” the spokesperson asserted. He further expressed hope that Germany would fulfill its commitment to take in Afghan citizens as promised.

The Foreign Office also dismissed the allegations of attacks in Afghanistan and called for further cooperation from Afghanistan against terrorism.

Shafqat Ali Khan on Friday said that terrorist safe havens, particularly in Afghanistan, remain a serious concern for Pakistan and pose a major obstacle in bilateral relations between the two neighbors. He said the Taliban should not allow its territory to be used for terrorism against Pakistan.