Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Khan Gandhapur’s reservations against federal government’s decision pertained to forcible evacuation of illegal immigrants earned hearts of war affected Afghans but it likely to fuel hardships for the federal government especially for “powerful military establishment.” For a long time the powerful military establishment has been facing failure after failure in its main objectives, which is –forcing Afghans to toe its lines on both internal and external policies.

He made it clear that he wants repatriation of Afghans with honour and dignity, which is not only in the interests of Pakhtoons but also is in the benefits of the country. All these people remained here for a long time and had made contributions in different fields of life and deepened relations with local people.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandhapur in a hurriedly called press conference while highlighting achievements and performances of his one year government has held the federal government responsible for all sorts of politico-economic and security issues, saying “ Central illegitimate regime has focused all attention on eliminating one party-PTI.” Adding further, “we, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government initiated steps for settling issues with Afghanistan, (banned TTP), economic hardships of the province, resolving long standing issues of financial arrears and others- but the federal government is reluctant to play its due role.”

Regarding evacuation of illegal immigrants, especially people from war-ravaged Afghanistan, Ali Amin Gandhapur has out rightly denounced the decision, terming it “violation of basic human rights.” He observed, “already Afghans are unhappy due to wrong and unrealistic policies of the high-ups or “influential military establishment and this act of forcibly deportation would further damage image of the country,” He recalled that earlier (in 2023) Pakistan had sent back (deported) lakhs of people, which caused hardships to Taliban government. At the moment, the Afghanistan government is in lack of infrastructures, resources and others, therefore, the federal government must review this decision.

Gandhapur said Afghans deserve Pakistani nationalities as almost all of its populace born and grown here and they are qualifying due criteria

Even Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandhapur has criticized the federal government for making more strict and hard the citizenship law, saying it is more hard compared to US, European and other developed countries. “Afghans deserve Pakistani nationalities as almost all of its populace born and grown here and they are qualifying due criteria.” Gandhapur believes that enmity or confrontation with Afghanistan is not in benefit of Pakistan, especially for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and its people. He in this respect also showed severe concern over prolonged closure of Torkham which ultimately affected no other than people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Regarding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa initiatives for dialogues with Emirate Islami Afghanistan on the issue of militancy ( banned TTP), bilateral relations and others, Chief Minister Gandha Pur said, “we have  already sent Terms Of References (TORs) to federal government but it didn’t responding.” “ Solution to all such issues, especially violence and terror rests in talks and dialogues,” he remarked and recalled the era of Imran Khan from 2018 till 2023, which remained very peaceful compared to present days and past.” He questioned outcomes of military operations against terror and militancy saying all such acts and actions lead to further complications and intensifying of the situation.

Pakistan since September 2023 last worked on evacuation of Afghans lacking what the authorities called lacking documents validating their stay. So far over 800,000 people have been sent back to Afghanistan whereas now all those who are in possession of Afghan Citizen Cards ( ACC’s- issued by Pakistan ) have been directed to leave by March 31st 2025 otherwise after that they will be picked and later will be deported to Afghanistan. The Afghans who are in possession of Proof Of Registration ( POR issued to them jointly by UNHCR and Pakistan through its NADRA) are allowed to remain till June 30th 2025.

Data reveal that so far 2.6 million Afghans are residing in Pakistan. According to UNHCR, the strength of Afghans with possession of POR cards are 13,44,584 and ACC are 9,98,425. It further informs that after the empowering of Taliban in August 2021, 490,000 people slipped into Pakistan and majority of them have made routes towards western world but still 210,000 of them are staying in Islamabad and other main cities.

The recent attack on the Jafar Express passenger train in the Pakistani province of Balochistan by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has sparked a number of reactions, including strong condemnation from the National Resistance Front and some Afghan jihadi organizations. Many people asked for designation of the BLA as a terrorist group.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said that “India has been involved in terrorism. In the particular attack on Jaffar Express, the terrorists had been in contact with their handlers and ring leaders in Afghanistan.” The statement came a day after the rescue operation for the Jaffar Express attack was completed and all the 33 BLA fighters, who hijacked the Jaffar Express which was carrying over 400 passengers, were killed.

The Pakistani military said that 21 passengers have been killed and the remaining hostages have been freed. And also, four Pakistani security forces killed during the rescue operation in the Mushqaf area of the Bolan district.

Shafqat Ali Khan added that “the terrorists have safe havens in Afghanistan, and Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan interim government to prevent groups like the BLA from using its soil for terrorism.”

Pakistani Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that the Jaffar Express incident changed the rules of the game.

“Whoever did this will be hunted down and brought to justice,” he said, adding that the terrorists had nothing to do with Islam, Pakistan and Balochistan. In a statement, the ISPR said that intelligence reports have unequivocally confirmed that the attack was orchestrated and directed by terrorist ring leaders operating from Afghanistan, who were in direct communication with the terrorists throughout the incident.

Taliban urges Pakistan to restrain from irresponsible statement rather resolve their own security issues.

The Taliban Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Abdul Qahar Balki asked Pakistan to refrain from giving irresponsible remarks and instead focus on the security situation and internal issues of the country.

“We categorically reject baseless allegations by a Pakistani army spokesman linking the attack on a passenger train in Balochistan province with Afghanistan, and urge the Pakistani side to focus on resolving their own security and internal problems instead of such irresponsible remarks,” Balkhi added.

Balkhi furthered that “no members of Balouch opposition have presence in Afghanistan, nor have they ever had or have any links with the Islamic Emirate.”

He expressed his saddened by the loss of life of innocents in the incident, lamenting that “sacrificing civilians for political objectives is unjustifiable”.

Baloch struggle against injustices.

The incident came despite the fact that the Baloch struggle against injustices by the Pakistani military began in 1948. These struggles are in response to systematic discrimination, political marginalization, the “kill and dump” policy, and the unjust exploitation of Balochistan’s natural resources.

Given these facts, a fundamental question arises: What is the difference between the oppression of the Pakistani military against the Baloch and the oppression of the same military’s proxy forces in the form of the Taliban against the people of Afghanistan?

“What difference should there be between the BLA and those who have condemned it, to call one a terrorist group and consider themselves legitimate fighters, while both groups have resorted to armed resistance in response to injustice and oppression,” Rahmatullah Nabil former Afghan spy head said.

It seems that condemning the Baloch freedom movement indicates a double policy that can add to the distrust of the narrative of the struggle of these movements. “I think it is essential to address such issues by paying attention to the historical and social roots of the conflicts and responding to them with a fair and impartial approach.”

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has urged officials to do their utmost in the race to achieve key targets, such as maintaining an economic growth rate of around 5%, as set out in the “two sessions” held last week.

“We must improve measures and accelerate their implementation, race against time amidst various uncertainties, and work quickly and proactively,” Li said on Wednesday at a State Council meeting, one day after the conclusion of the annual meetings of China’s top legislative and advisory bodies.

As Beijing outlined a series of policies to boost growth in the face of economic headwinds, Li called on all state institutions to “take the initiative to fulfill their responsibilities and take more positive steps to complete their tasks.”

Although Chinese leaders emphasized their confidence in the future of the world’s second-largest economy, they also highlighted ongoing challenges such as weak domestic demand and intensifying trade frictions with the US during the two sessions.

According to a summary of Wednesday’s meeting reported by Xinhua, Li asked officials to “closely monitor changes in the situation and make good policy preparations to ensure they can be launched in a timely manner and deliver results as soon as possible.”

In his work report last week, Li emphasized that China’s growth target of around 5% for 2025 underscored the leadership’s determination to tackle challenges and achieve results.

While China announced further fiscal stimulus measures during the two sessions, following a package in the last quarter of 2024, it faces uncertainties not only domestically but also externally, particularly due to the trade war with US President Donald Trump.

At Wednesday’s State Council meeting, a work plan was discussed and adopted that clarified the division of key tasks for this year among different departments and emphasized inter-departmental coordination.

According to a separate meeting held by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on the same day, these tasks include expanding the scale of 5G telecom technology applications and accelerating the development of 6G.

Li Lecheng, the Party Secretary of the Ministry, pledged to continue efforts to upgrade traditional industries, accelerate the digitalization and green transformation of the manufacturing sector, and accelerate the application of artificial intelligence, especially in areas such as electric vehicles, the low-altitude economy, and biomanufacturing.

According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, 1.664 million electric bicycles were sold and replaced nationwide from January 1 to Tuesday, accounting for 120.4% of the total number in 2024.

Meanwhile, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, a leading state-owned bank, pledged on Wednesday to provide at least 6 trillion yuan (829.2 billion US dollars) in financing to private enterprises over the next three years, Xinhua reported.

Bank Chairman Liao Lin said at an event in Beijing that the aim was to “support businesses to stick to their core businesses” and “help the economy continue to recover and improve.”