KABUL: Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai said he would not allow anyone to harass Afghan refugees in their own land, “because it also belongs to them”.

Achakzai, in an interview published by Afghanistan Times, said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province belongs to Afghans and they can live there without fear and irritation.

“If Afghans are harassed in other parts of Pakistan, they should come here to the Pakhtunkhwa province, where no one can ask them for refugee cards, because it also belongs to them,” the PkMAP chief was quoted as saying.

He further warned that “Kabul and Islamabad should exercise extreme caution to resolve Torkham crossing conflict”.

“Otherwise, they should leave the issue to the US and China, and they would resolve it within two weeks.”

The United States had called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to peacefully resolve their tension on Torkham border.

Pakistan officials maintain that the unprovoked firing from Afghan forces is disrupting border management efforts by Pakistan Army.

“Torkham border issue and forceful repatriation of Afghan refugees are two separate issues. It not only raised concerns among Afghan officials in Afghanistan, but also made the Pashtun leaders here concerned,” he added.

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