BANNU: Reiterating his resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that Afghanistan must choose between siding with terrorists or standing with Pakistan, warning there would be zero tolerance for ambiguity on the issue.
Addressing an important high-level meeting on terrorism during his visit to Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) along with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the premier said Pakistan would continue to deliver a firm response to terrorism and those facilitating Indian proxies.
PM Shehbaz made it clear that anyone speaking in favour of foreign elements or acting as their facilitator would be treated as their “instrument and would be answered in the same language they understood”.
Afghan nationals are involved in terrorist incidents in Pakistan, he said, adding that illegal Afghan residents would soon be expelled.
Pakistan has hosted Afghans for more than four decades, from the Soviet invasion through the Taliban takeover in 2021. Some refugees were born and raised in Pakistan; others are still waiting for third-country relocation.
According to media reports, following a 2023 crackdown on undocumented Afghans and those exceeding legal status, more than 554,000 Afghans have been returned since April 2025 under Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan — including around 145,000 in August.
The premier went on to say that the people, the state, and the armed forces of Pakistan stood united like a fortified wall against Indian proxies, rejecting politics and misleading narratives on the matter.
During his visit, PM Shehbaz also inquired after injured security personnel at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Bannu. Meanwhile, the Peshawar Corps Commander gave a detailed briefing on the regional security situation.
According to security sources, masterminds and facilitators of terrorism are based in Afghanistan and are being supported by India.
