ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has criticised Pakistani students expressing solidarity with Afghan students, saying their stance reflects political leanings more than affection or goodwill.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Asif said Pakistan had hosted Afghan citizens for five decades and shared its limited resources with them.
He said Pakistan had expressed goodwill following the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan, hoping that its borders would become secure and the two neighbouring countries would live peacefully.
The defence minister alleged that a significant number of Afghan nationals had been involved in attacks on Pakistan’s mosques, schools, markets and security forces. He also alleged that some Afghan elements were expressing solidarity with India.
Asif said he and Pakistan’s military and civilian leadership had maintained direct and indirect contacts with Afghans, but claimed that these engagements had not resulted in a reduction in what he described as hostility towards Pakistan.
Criticising Pakistani students supporting Afghan students, the defence minister said such solidarity reflected their political tendencies more than their feelings of affection. He argued that Pakistan’s five decades of hosting Afghans and sharing its resources had not changed these attitudes.
Asif also suggested that Pakistani students supporting Afghans should consider studying at an Afghan educational institution as a gesture of goodwill.
He said ignoring the deaths of Pakistanis killed by militants coming from Afghanistan was regrettable, and urged Pakistani students not to become so attached to any political party that they began viewing Pakistani lives as less valuable.
The remarks come amid an ongoing dispute over the status of Afghan students studying in Pakistan. The Foreign Office has said there is no blanket decision to send all Afghan students back. According to the Foreign Office, Afghan students enrolled in valid degree programmes and holding valid visas can remain in Pakistan and complete their education.
The issue has also reached the Lahore High Court, where proceedings concerning Afghan medical students are continuing. The court has extended the suspension of a Pakistan Medical and Dental Council directive requiring Afghan medical students to return to Afghanistan.