Taliban planning to shift refugees settled alongside Durand Line

KABUL: Taliban is planning to relocate the refugees settled alongside the Durand Line to other provinces in Afghanistan, TOLO News reported. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that the decision has been taken to assure Pakistan that refugees are not involved in attacks against the Pakistani government.

"To give a general assurance, the Islamic Emirate planned to take the refugees, who come from the other side of the Durand Line in Khost and Kunar provinces, to far provinces, so that they will be away from the (Durand) line," TOLO News quoted Zabiullah Mujahid as saying.

The Norwegian Refugee Council in 2014 revealed that the Pakistan military operation in North Waziristan District resulted in displacement of thousands of civilians into Afghanistan, particularly into Khost and Paktika provinces, TOLO News reported. In 2019, the NRC estimated that approximately 72,000 refugees remain and most of them live in Gulan Refugee Camp close to Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khost.

In a report published on October 5, 2019, the Norwegian Refugee Council said, "While many of these refugees have since returned - it is estimated that approximately 72,000 refugees remain, the majority living in Gulan Refugee Camp close to the internationally recognized border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Khost."

"In addition, cross-border clashes around the Durand Line in May 2019 displaced a further 750 families from North Waziristan into Khost as well as over 400 refugee families who had been previously residing in Paktika," it added. Asadullah Nadim, a military analyst, stressed that the shifting of people will cause integration of population. Nadim said that the decision will not benefit the people and the region. "Even if it is the shifting of Pakistani Taliban, or if it is shifting of the displaced refugees alongside the Durand Line, it will cause integration of the population. According to their definition, the far areas are those areas without Pashtuns. In both cases it's not benefiting the people and region," TOLO News quoted Asadullah Nadim as saying.

Earlier in May, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar urged the Taliban to address the banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) resurgence, TOLO News reported. She said that the engagement with the interim government in Afghanistan is "preconditioned" on the issue of TTP. "The engagement with the Afghan interim government which is currently in Afghanistan is preconditioned on this issue (TTP). They have told us that they believe the blood of Pakistanis should not be poured but this has only been at a level of speech. They should prove some of the things because we have the ability to counter the TTP," Hina Rabbani Khar said. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with Pakistan government in November last year. Since then, the outfit has intensified its attacks, particularly targeting the police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and areas bordering Afghanistan. As per the TOLO News report, Khar's statements come after Taliban official Bilal Karimi denied the presence of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan.