ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday said Islamabad was willing to work with New Delhi and global partners to counter "terrorism," as his country's fragile ceasefire with India continues to hold after last week's armed conflict.

India fired missiles into what it says were "terrorist" camps in Pakistan last Wednesday, stoking tensions between the two neighbors. India targeted Pakistani cities in Azad Kashmir and Punjab after weeks of tensions over an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan, while Islamabad denied involvement.

Pakistan said it downed five Indian fighter jets last Wednesday and conducted retaliatory strikes on Saturday. Hours later, US President Donald Trump announced both sides had agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Washington.

India accuses Pakistan of sheltering militants that launch attacks on its soil, especially in the part of the disputed Kashmir territory that New Delhi administers. Pakistan denies the allegations and urges Delhi to give Kashmiris the right to self-determination.

"I think we can work together because if they [Indian authorities] are so allergic not to work together against this [terrorism] menace, we can have two, three more partners," Dar, who also serves as Pakistan's deputy prime minister, told BBC News Hindi.

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Dar did not elaborate on which countries he meant when he said "partners."

"Global partners to deal with it," the minister added.

He pointed out that Pakistan had suffered from militant attacks and was a "frontline ally" in the so-called War on Terror.

"We have lost 90,000 people but then it takes two to tango," he continued. "We have to work together to eliminate the menace of terrorism."

Kashmir has been the root cause of conflicts between India and Pakistan since both countries gained independence from British rule in 1947.

India and Pakistan have fought two out of three wars over Kashmir. Both countries claim the Himalayan region in full but administer only parts of it.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and funding separatist militants in Kashmir. Islamabad denies the allegations and says it only provides moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have repatriated approximately 1.3 million Afghan refugees in a deportation drive launched since November 2023, Parliamentary Secretary Mukhtar Ahmad Malik said on Wednesday, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

Pakistan launched a repatriation drive of foreign citizens that began in November 2023, with thousands of Afghan nationals expelled since. The government initially said it was first focusing on expelling foreigners with no legal documentation and other categories, such as Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) — a document launched in 2017 to grant temporary legal status to Afghan refugees — would be included later.

Earlier this year, the country’s interior ministry asked all “illegal foreigners” and ACC holders to leave the country before Mar. 31, warning that they would otherwise be deported from April 1. Authorities subsequently started deporting thousands of Afghan nationals from all parts of the country.

“Parliamentary Secretary Mukhtar Ahmad Malik informed the National Assembly on Wednesday that approximately 1.3 million Afghan refugees have been repatriated from Pakistan so far,” APP reported.

Responding to a question raised by lawmaker Anjum Aqeel Khan during a parliamentary session, Malik said around 3 million Afghan refugees were residing in Pakistan.

“Of these, 813,000 hold Afghan Citizen Cards (ECC) while 1.3 million possess Proof of Registration (PoR) cards,” he was quoted as saying.

He emphasized that Afghan nationals who wish to enter Pakistan for medical treatment, education, or business purposes are welcome to do so provided they obtain a Pakistani visa and carry valid documentation with them.

In total, Pakistan has hosted over 2.8 million Afghan refugees who crossed the border during 40 years of conflict in their homeland.

The deportation drive was launched in November 2023 after Islamabad witnessed a surge in suicide attacks and militancy that it blamed on Afghan nationals, without providing evidence.

Local and international rights organizations have accused Pakistani authorities of harassing Afghan nationals while forcefully repatriating them. The same has been accused by the Afghan Taliban, who have called on Islamabad to allow its nationals to return to their homeland with dignity.

Islamabad denies the harassment allegations and says it is ensuring Afghan nationals are deported with dignity.