Three top US officials arriving in Pakistan to ‘discuss’ Pak-Afghan issues

Three top US officials are arriving in Pakistan will begin a four-day trip to Islamabad from Monday (today) amid deteriorating ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The US assistant secretary for population, refugees, and migration Julieta Valls Noyes is arriving in Pakistan on a three-day visit from today (Monday)while the US special representative on Afghanistan Tom West would wheel down in the capital on Thursday (December 7) followed by the US principal deputy assistant secretary for Pakistan ,Elizabeth Horst will land up on Saturday (December 9).

The FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan and the United States would continue to hold consultations on a range of issues and to advance these consultations exchange of visits also takes place.

“These visits are part of ongoing dialogue with the US on a range of issues including, but not limited to the situation in Afghanistan,” spokesperson added.

Pakistan’s deportation drive against foreigners living illegally 

Pakistan has launched a crackdown against the foreigners (mostly afghans) living in the country illegally, following the expiry of the October 31 deadline.

Approximately more than 200,000 Afghans already crossed over into Afghanistan. Islamabad is planning to expel more than 1.5 million undocumented Afghan refugees in coming years.

Over the past year, there has been a surge of militant attacks inside Pakistan, with most claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a close ally of the Afghan Taliban. Pakistani authorities have blamed Afghan migrants in part for the rise in attacks.

The US is believed to have been worried that any escalation in tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban government would destabilise Afghanistan.