In an interview with a German magazine, the Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) highlighted Pakistan’s decades-long role in hosting Afghan refugees. He said that for over 40 years, Pakistan sheltered millions of Afghans and made elaborate arrangements for their dignified return to their homeland. He noted that Islamabad extended the deadline for their repatriation several times on humanitarian grounds, but the circumstances that initially compelled Pakistan to offer refuge — foreign interference and civil war in Afghanistan — no longer exist. The DG ISPR also cautioned that American weapons abandoned after the US withdrawal are being used in terrorist activities inside Pakistan, a concern acknowledged by Washington as well. He underlined Pakistan’s sacrifices as a frontline state in the war against terrorism and reiterated that no armed group or individual has the authority to declare jihad, as Pakistan rejects all non-state actors across the board.
Commenting on regional issues, the DG ISPR said violent incidents in India are the direct result of extremist government policies, adding that New Delhi habitually presents its internal issues as external ones. He stated that India sponsors terrorism in Pakistan under official patronage, with credible evidence confirming involvement of serving Indian army officers. Pakistan has repeatedly presented such evidence before the international community, he stressed. Speaking on Kashmir, he urged the global community to play its role in resolving the longstanding dispute. The DG ISPR further said that during the recent Pakistan-India conflict, former US President Donald Trump played a strategic role, while Washington also declared the banned Majid Brigade a global terrorist outfit. On foreign relations, he reaffirmed Pakistan’s constructive and strategic ties with China. He clarified that several terrorists killed in Balochistan were wrongly listed among so-called missing persons, dispelling propaganda narratives.
DG ISPR: Pakistan Hosts Afghan Refugees for 40 Years, Seeks Dignified Return Warns of US Weapons in Terror, Blames India for State-Sponsored Violence
