ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan's failure to stop Pakistani militants operating from its soil was to blame for Islamabad expelling hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants, Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said Wednesday.
Afghans were also deeply involved in suicide attacks and other clashes with Pakistan forces, Kakar told a news conference, adding there had been a huge rise in security incidents since the Taliban's return to power in Kabul.
More than 250,000 people have crossed from Pakistan to Afghanistan since an October ultimatum given to the 1.7 million Afghans Islamabad said were living illegally in the country.
Pakistan says most have left voluntarily, but Kabul insists the majority have been forcibly repatriated since the November 1 deadline.
"The majority of these illegal immigrants in Pakistan are of Afghan origin," Kakar said.
"A significant portion of those involved in criminal and terrorist activities are among these illegal immigrants."
Kakar said there had been a 60 percent increase in terror incidents in Pakistan since the Taliban took power in August 2021, resulting in 2,267 deaths.
While he blamed Pakistan's home-grown Taliban movement for the majority of incidents, he said they were using bases in Afghanistan and Afghans were also involved.
"Over these years 15 Afghan nationals were involved in suicide attacks and, apart from that, 64 Afghans were killed in clashes with Pakistan law enforcement departments during operations against militancy," he said.
He said no action had been taken, despite Pakistan frequently complaining to Afghanistan's rulers.
"In some cases, there was even evidence indicating their support for these terrorists," he added.
Afghanistan's Taliban leaders insist they do not allow the country's soil to be used by militants to stage attacks on other countries and say Pakistan's security problems are a domestic affair.