• Fo Spox says that the world must address the issue of American arms now in Taliban possession
• Praise the continuation of the US supervision installation for F-16
• Washington warns against interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs
Islamabad: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested on Friday clarity of the United States about its policy on the resettlement of Afghan refugees in third countries, and urged the international community to address the issue of US weapons that remain in Afghanistan.
“We have suspended the [resettlement] Process, so we are waiting for a greater clarification on that point ”before making any decision, said Shafqat Ali Khan spokesman in the weekly media information session.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has abstained openly supporting President Donald Trump to recover the US military team that remains in Afghanistan. However, he urged the international community to address the problem, warning that terrorists were using abandoned weapons in Pakistan.
“The international community should help deal with this problem,” Khan said.
Pakistan has long expressed concerns that the weapons left by US forces during the withdrawal of 2021 have been feeding violence in their soil, particularly as terrorism resurfaced after the acquisition of Afghanistan by the Taliban. However, Islamabad’s initial warnings found little traction in Washington.
“The question of weapons left by the United States remains a serious concern for us for a particular reason, that terrorists are using those weapons for attacks within Pakistan,” Khan said, and said that Islamabad had been raising the problem with US officials.
President Trump revived the debate on the issue shortly after starting his second term, asking for the recovery of an estimated value of $ 7 billion in assets, including firearms, communication devices and armored vehicles.
However, recovering the team presents significant challenges. Much of the military hardware had been transferred to the National Defense and Security Forces before its collapse, allowing the Taliban to seize reserves. The $ 7 billion in arms are additional to the weapons that had been given to the Afghan forces. Logistic and diplomatic complexities of claiming or neutralizing these weapons have significant obstacles.
In addition, the Taliban have ruled out the US demands, instead, asking for a more advanced armament to combat ISIS-K, which further complicates the regional security panorama.
While Pakistan shares concerns about these weapons, he is still cautious when aligning too much with Trump’s position, distrusting the problem can increase more. Some analysts have speculated that Washington can even consider military options to recover hardware, a possibility that could further destabilize the region.
Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference a few days ago, President Trump asked for a strategy to recover military assets now in Taliban possession.
“What happens between Afghanistan and the United States is an issue between two sovereign countries,” said Khan, indicating Pakistan’s intention to remain neutral while pressing a global solution to the growing security threat.
Stagnant resettlement
Pakistan seeks clarity of the United States about its policy regarding the resettlement of Afghan refugees in third countries before making any decision, said the spokesman, added that “the United States has suspended the process, so we are waiting for a greater clarification on that point.”
One of President Trump’s first actions when he returned to office was to stop the Afghan resettlement program, who had worked with US forces before his retirement of 2021 or were involved in human rights activism. The suspension has interrupted the processing and relocation of almost 25,000 Afghans currently in Pakistan, many of whom remain at risk of persecution under the Taliban regime due to their past affiliations.
Last week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ishaq Dar, hinted at the possibility of deporting Afghas that are no longer eligible for resettlement in the United States.
Clarifying Pakistan’s position, Khan said: “If a country is not willing to recover them, and if any of them lacks valid visas or residence status, it would be considered illegal. In such cases, our policies that govern undocumented people will determine our course of action. However, I have no specific numbers at this time. “
In November 2023, Pakistan launched an offensive against undocumented foreigners. Since then, more than 815,000 individuals have been repatriated.
‘F-16 supervision’
The spokesman welcomed the continuation of the United States supervision program for its fleet of F-16 combat planes, calling it a “regular characteristic” of the bilateral defense collaboration.
“The F-16 supervision program is a regular characteristic of the Pakistan-United States defense collaboration under the ‘End User Agreement’ and Pakistan welcomes its continuation,” he said.
The statement occurs when the Trump administration published $ 397 million for the program that monitors the use of Pakistan of American manufacturing F-16 to ensure that they are used for anti-terrorist operations and not against India.
The measure is part of a broader version of $ 5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, mainly assigned to security and anterarcotic programs. The funds will support the technical security team, a group of US contractors parked in Pakistan since 2019 to supervise compliance with final use monitoring agreements.
In strict final conditions, the Pakistan Air Force, particularly its new Models F-16C/D Block-52, is required to deploy the planes mainly for counterinsurgency and anti-terrorism operations. The supervision mechanism has been in force since 2019 when Washington approved a $ 125 million support package for the F-16 fleet.
The spokesman emphasized the broader importance of relations between Pakistan and the United States, describing them as “robust and strong” with a story that covers several decades. “Our desire is to continue with this important relationship,” he said, reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to maintain close ties with us.
“The two parties are already committed through diplomatic channels. Pakistan is still committed to carrying this relationship forward, ”he added.
The spokesman stressed that relations with us remain a key priority in Pakistan’s foreign policy. “We intend to follow our commitment to the new administration of the United States, and the interactions between the two countries continue,” he said.
The spokesman, however, warned of interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan after some Republican congressmen urged Secretary of Marco Rubio to intervene for what they called the “restoration” of democracy in Pakistan.
Answering a question about his letter, he dismissed the concerns about Pakistan’s democratic framework. “On the full restoration of democracy, Pakistan is a democracy,” he said. “Around three members of the Congress who write to Mr. Rubio, what I can say is that one of the fundamental elements of interstate relationships is non -interference in internal affairs with each other.”
Return of Pakistani
The spokesman confirmed that Pakistan had accepted the return of eight nationals who remained illegally in the US., Marking the first batch under ongoing discussions between the two countries on the subject.
“We can confirm that eight Pakistani citizens who remained illegally in the United States have returned yesterday,” he said.
He emphasized Pakistan’s policy to repatriate his citizens once his nationality is verified. “As a matter of politics, any Pakistani, for example, found to remain illegally, and their nationality is confirmed, we take them back and there is no ambiguity about it.”
The spokesman also pointed out that the two countries were in conversations about the broader repatriation process.
Posted in Dawn, March 1, 2025
