Repatriation of Afghan refugees key to terror eradication: Gen Qamar
Repatriation of Afghan refugees key to terror eradication: Gen Qamar
News Desk
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Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Saturday stressed that repatriation of 2.7 million Afghan refugees can greatly improve the security situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Saturday stressed that repatriation of 2.7 million Afghan refugees can greatly improve the security situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Addressing the Munich Security conference, the army chief said the world was harvesting what had been sown 40 years ago. He called for repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and better management of the Afghan border as a way forward to curb militancy.

The COAS said that Pakistan has denied the Islamic State militant group any foothold in the country.

He was delivering his speech on “Jihadism After Caliphate” along with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi. He said that only state had the authority to declare jihad.

“I can proudly say that Pakistan does not have any terrorist hideouts,” he said, adding that the country had defeated al Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State among other outlawed militant groups.

“Pakistan’s peace is correlated with peace in Afghanistan,” he remarked.

Pakistani forces have killed over 1,100 al Qaeda militants and handed over 600 to the United States, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa said.

He said the terrorists had sanctuaries in Afghanistan and they were planning attacks against Pakistan from there.

“Pakistan is ready to cooperate for peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he said, adding that the menace of terrorism could only be defeated by joint efforts by all the countries.

He said that out of 130 terror attacks on Pakistani side of the Pak-Afghan border, 123 were conceived in Afghanistan.