US calls on Pakistan to honor asylum commitments amid Afghan deportation concerns

1 / 2
US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel speaks during a briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC, on September 06, 2022. (Screengrab from a video shared by US State Department/File)
Short Url
Updated 08 November 2023
Follow

US calls on Pakistan to honor asylum commitments amid Afghan deportation concerns

  • US State Department official says Pakistan should allow Afghans seeking international protection to enter its territory
  • The statement comes at a time when Pakistan wants 1.73 million unregistered Afghans to go back to their homeland

ISLAMABAD: The United States urged Pakistan on Tuesday to fulfil its obligations toward asylum seekers let Afghan nationals seeking international protection enter its territory amid a deportation drive launched by the administration in Islamabad since the beginning of this month.

Last month, the Pakistani government warned all illegal immigrants, mostly Afghans, to voluntarily leave the country or face forced expulsion after the November 1 deadline. Subsequently, tens of thousands of unregistered Afghans returned to their homeland amid criticism leveled by rights organizations who said many of them faced danger to their lives.

According to official estimates, nearly 1.73 million Afghans have been illegally residing in Pakistan and need to return to their country. These people are over and above 4.4 million registered Afghan refugees that have been sheltered by the country for several decades, though many of them also blamed the Pakistani authorities of harassing them despite being in possession of all the required documents.

“We join partners in urging all states, including Pakistan, to uphold their respective obligations in their treatment of refugees and asylum seekers and to respect the principle of non-refoulement,” Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the US State Department, said during his media briefing.

“We strongly encourage Afghanistan’s neighbors, including Pakistan, to allow entry for Afghans seeking international protection and to coordinate with the appropriate international humanitarian organizations,” he added.

The principle of non-refoulement is a fundamental tenet of international refugee law that prohibits the return of refugees or asylum seekers to a country where they are liable to be subjected to persecution.

It was codified in the 1951 Refugee Convention and is considered part of customary international law that is binding on all states, whether or not they have ratified the convention.

Pakistan issued the sudden expulsion order against illegal migrants on October 3 after a string of suicide bombings this year that its officials said had involved Afghans.

However, the Taliban administration in Kabul has disputed the claim, saying Afghan nationals were not responsible for Pakistan’s security problem and were mostly abiding by local laws.
 


Chinese weapons get rare battle test in India-Pakistan fighting

Updated 7 sec ago
Follow

Chinese weapons get rare battle test in India-Pakistan fighting

  • Pakistan accounts for around 63 percent of China’s arms exports, according to SIPRI
  • In recent fighting, Pakistan used J10-C Vigorous Dragon, JF-17 Thunder planes, armed with air-to-air missiles

SHANGHAI: Just over a week after a ceasefire with India was struck, Pakistan’s foreign minister is visiting his country’s largest arms supplier, China, with the performance of the weapons they supplied a matter of burning interest for analysts and governments alike.

The most striking claim from four days of fighting earlier this month was Islamabad’s contention its Chinese-supplied jets had shot down six Indian aircraft — including three French-made Rafale fighters — with some observers seeing this as a symbol of Beijing’s rising military might.

Experts who spoke to AFP cautioned that a lack of confirmed information and the limited scope of fighting made it difficult to draw solid conclusions about the Chinese equipment’s prowess.

Still, “this was a rare opportunity for the international community to gauge Chinese military hardware on the battlefield against Western (Indian) hardware,” said Lyle Morris from the Asia Society Policy Institute.

While China pours hundreds of billions of dollars into defense spending each year, it lags far behind the United States as an arms exporter.

China’s drones are used in counter-terrorism operations, and its weapons have been deployed by Saudi Arabia in Yemen and against rebel forces in African countries, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) senior researcher Siemon Wezeman told AFP.

“But this is the first time since the 1980s that a state has used large numbers of Chinese weapons of many types in action against another state,” said Wezeman, referencing the Iran-Iraq war when they were used on both sides.

Pakistan accounts for around 63 percent of China’s arms exports, according to SIPRI.

In the recent fighting, Pakistan used the J10-C Vigorous Dragon and JF-17 Thunder planes, armed with air-to-air missiles.

It was the first time the J10-C has been used in active combat, said the Stimson Center’s Yun Sun.

Islamabad’s air defenses also used Chinese kit — including the HQ-9P long-range surface-to-air missile system — and deployed Chinese radar as well as armed and reconnaissance drones.

“This was the first sustained fight where the bulk of Pakistan’s forces used Chinese weapons and, basically, relied on them as their primary option,” said Bilal Khan, founder of the Toronto-based Quwa Defense News & Analysis Group.

India has not officially confirmed any of its aircraft were lost, although a senior security source told AFP three jets had crashed on home soil without giving the make or cause.

Rafale maker Dassault has also not commented.

The Rafale is considered one of Europe’s most high-tech jets, while the J10-C “is not even China’s most advanced,” said James Char from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

But if Pakistan’s claims are true, “this should not be surprising... considering that the Rafale is a multirole fighter, whereas the J-10C was built for aerial combat and is also equipped with a stronger radar,” Char said.

The Chinese air-defense systems, however, “do not appear to have been as effective as the Pakistan Air Force would have hoped,” said Quwa’s Khan, after India said it had neutralized one near the eastern border city of Lahore.

If true, said SIPRI’s Wezeman, that “would be a bigger success and more than balance the loss of some aircraft in the process.”

In the days after the dogfight reports, J10-C maker Chengdu Aircraft Company’s stock soared over forty percent.

“We most likely will see more orders going to Chinese contractors,” said the Stimson Center’s Sun.

However, “it will take time and significant reorientation by Chinese arms manufacturers for the country to be a big arms exporter,” said Jennifer Kavanagh from the US think tank Defense Priorities.

She noted that China “cannot mass-produce certain key inputs, including aircraft engines.”

Wezeman said he thought the stock markets “overreacted,” as “we still have to see how well all the weapons used worked and if it really means much.”

Even if more data emerges, the conflict still does not reveal much about the Chinese military’s own capabilities, the analysts said.

China’s own systems and weapons are much more advanced than what it exports.

And while having high-tech hardware is important, “much more important is how those weapons are used,” said Kavanagh.

Brian Hart of CSIS said he would caution against “reading too much” into recent developments.

“I don’t think you can make direct comparisons to how these Chinese-made systems would fare in different environments against more advanced adversaries like the United States,” he explained.

“Since the number of data points is small and since we don’t know much about the proficiency and training of the personnel on either side, it is hard to draw definitive conclusions.”


Pakistan rejects Indian allegations it tried to launch attack on Golden Temple

Updated 10 min 24 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan rejects Indian allegations it tried to launch attack on Golden Temple

  • Major General Kartik C Seshadri, General Officer Commanding of 15 Infantry Division, said Golden Temple directly targeted in recent wave of attacks
  • Foreign office spokesman says Pakistan holds places of worship in “highest esteem and cannot think of targeting a holy site like the Golden Temple”

ISLAMABAD: The ministry of foreign affairs on Tuesday “categorically” rejected allegations by a senior Indian army officer that Pakistan had attempted to target the Golden Temple in the Indian city of Amritsar using drones and missiles earlier this month.

During a media briefing in Amritsar on Monday, Major General Kartik C Seshadri, General Officer Commanding of the 15 Infantry Division, said the Golden Temple was directly targeted in the recent wave of attacks as India and Pakistan engaged in their worst fighting in decades between May 7-10, which ultimately ended with a US-brokered a ceasefire. He said the Indian army’s air defense gunners shot down all drones and missiles Pakistan had launched at the Golden Temple. 

The Pakistani foreign office spokesperson called Seshadri’s comments “baseless and incorrect.”

“We categorically reject the allegations that Pakistan attempted to target the Golden Temple, the most revered place in the Sikh faith. We hold all places of worship in the highest esteem and cannot think of targeting a holy site like the Golden Temple,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

He said Pakistan was the “proud custodian” of numerous sacred sites belonging to the Sikh faith and annually hosted thousands of Sikh pilgrims from around the world, providing visa-free access to the historic Gurdwara Sahib Kartarpur through the Kartarpur Corridor.

“In that backdrop, any claim concerning Pakistan’s attempt to target the Golden Temple is absolutely baseless and incorrect,” the spokesperson added. 

At least 60 people died in fighting earlier this month triggered by an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing, a charge Pakistan denies.

Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both countries, which have fought multiple wars over the Himalayan territory since their 1947 independence from Britain.


Committed to upholding ceasefire with India, Pakistan tells UN envoys from Arab nations 

Updated 33 min 46 sec ago
Follow

Committed to upholding ceasefire with India, Pakistan tells UN envoys from Arab nations 

  • Four-day-long military confrontation earlier this month was ended with US-brokered ceasefire 
  • Nuclear-armed neighbors pounded each other with drones, missiles and artillery during the conflict

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top diplomat at the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, briefed his counterparts from Arab nations about a recent military standoff with India and said Islamabad was committed to upholding a ceasefire and taking “all necessary steps” toward de-escalation, his office said on Tuesday.

Tensions surged between India and Pakistan after New Delhi accused Pakistan of supporting an Apr. 22 militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 dead. Islamabad has denied any involvement. 

The tensions blew up into a full-on military conflict after India said it had hit “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan on May 7. What followed was four days of the two nuclear-armed neighbors pounding each other with drones, missiles and artillery, until the United States brokered a ceasefire on May 10.

“Ambassador Ahmad expressed Pakistan’s commitment to upholding the ceasefire and taking all necessary steps toward de-escalation and regional stability,” the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN said in a post on X following a meeting with Gulf nation counterparts. 

“He informed the Arab Group that Pakistan’s response to the blatant act of aggression by India was measured and proportionate, in exercise of its right to self-defense under the Charter.”

Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations and frequently accuse each other of fomenting militancy in the other’s territory.

Kashmir, divided between the two countries since their independence from Britain in 1947, has been a flashpoint for decades, with the neighbors having fought two of their three wars over the region. 

They both acquired nuclear weapons in 1998.


Pakistani delegation to visit US, Europe in diplomatic push following India standoff — minister

Updated 20 May 2025
Follow

Pakistani delegation to visit US, Europe in diplomatic push following India standoff — minister

  • PM announced last week he was setting up diplomatic team headed by Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
  • Team’s mandate is to highlight in world capitals “India’s disinformation campaign and attempts to destabilize regional peace”

ISLAMABAD: A high-level delegation set up by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to present Pakistan’s position and advocate for the country in world capitals following a recent military conflict with India will start with visits to the United States and Europe, a federal minister who is a member of the team said on Tuesday.

Sharif announced last week he was setting up the diplomatic team, which is headed by Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is a former foreign minister. 

“Our team … will visit Europe and US to represent our stance,” Climate Minister Dr. Musadik Malik, who is a member of the delegation, told a local Pakistani news channel, saying it would visit Washington, London, France and Brussels first and also Moscow at a later date. 

“We are trying that with a small team, we visit the big areas of the world who are influencers in creating an opinion for the world and also forming policies. This team’s focus will be the US and Europe.”

Last week, state media reported that the team had been set up “to highlight India’s disinformation campaign and its attempts to destabilize regional peace” as well as put the spotlight on “Pakistan’s sincere efforts for peace and stability in the region.”

The United States played a major role in de-escalating the worst fighting in decades between the two nuclear-armed South Asian rivals, who fired missiles and drones onto each other’s territory and fought with gunfire on their de facto border following weeks of tensions after a deadly April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad. 

Pakistan denies involvement.


Pakistani deputy PM in Beijing in aftermath of worst standoff in years with India

Updated 20 May 2025
Follow

Pakistani deputy PM in Beijing in aftermath of worst standoff in years with India

  • Dar’s visit comes as Pakistan Air Force has hailed the use of Chinese J-10Cs to shoot down six Indian fighter jets
  • India and China are competing regional giants and nuclear powers and widely seen as long-term strategic rivals

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar began meetings today, Tuesday, with Chinese officials during a three-day visit to Beijing to discuss “the evolving regional situation in South Asia and its implications for peace and stability,” the foreign office said.

The Beijing visit comes as the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has hailed the use of Chinese J-10Cs to shoot down six Indian fighter jets, including three French Rafales, during a flare-up in hostilities that saw the nuclear-armed neighbors pound each other with missiles, drones and artillery for four days until the United States brokered a ceasefire earlier this month. 

For China, Pakistan is a strategic and economic ally. It is investing over $60 billion to build infrastructure, energy and other projects in Pakistan as part of its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. 

India and China, on the other hand, are competing regional giants and nuclear powers and widely seen as long-term strategic rivals, sharing a 3,800 Himalayan border that has been disputed since the 1950s and sparked a brief war in 1962. The most recent standoff — that started in 2020 — thawed in October as the two sides struck a patrolling agreement.

Starting a day of meetings on Tuesday, Dar, who is also the foreign minister of Pakistan, met with the Minister of International Department of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC), Liu Jianchao.

“The DPM/FM appreciated China’s firm support to Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and issues of its core interest,” the foreign office said in a statement. 

“Liu reiterated that as All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partner and ironclad friend, China would continue to prioritize its relations with Pakistan.”

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar (fouth from right) meets with the Minister of International Department of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC), Liu Jianchao, in Beijing on May 19, 2025. (Government of Pakistan)

In an earlier statement, the foreign office in Islamabad said Dar would discuss with Chinese leaders “the evolving regional situation in South Asia and its implications for peace and stability.”

“The two sides will also review the entire spectrum of Pakistan-China bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest,” the statement added.

The conflict between India and Pakistan has offered the world a first real glimpse into how advanced Chinese military technology performs against proven Western hardware and Chinese defense stocks have already been surging as a result. 

A rising military superpower, China hasn’t fought a major war in more than four decades but has raced under President Xi Jinping to modernize its armed forces, pouring resources into developing sophisticated weaponry and cutting-edge technologies.

It has also extended that modernization drive to Pakistan, long hailed by Beijing as its “ironclad brother.”

Over the past five years, China has supplied 81 percent of Pakistan’s imported weapons, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Those exports include advanced fighter jets, missiles, radars and air-defense systems. Some Pakistan-made weapons have also been co-developed with Chinese firms or built with Chinese technology and expertise.