Pakistan has once again called upon the Interim Afghan Government to ensure that weapons left behind by the United States army after their withdrawal in 2021 do not fall into the hands of terrorists who can use them against Pakistan.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed deep concern over the safety of Pakistani citizens in regards to these weapons.

“The presence of US advance weapons in Afghanistan, left behind in the aftermath of the withdrawal of its troops in August 2021, has been an issue of profound concern for the safety and security of Pakistan and its citizens,” the statement said.

The statement further added that these weapons have been used by TTP and other terrorist outfits against Pakistan and Afghanistan should take steps to ensure this does not continue to happen.

“These weapons have been used by terrorist organizations, including the TTP, to carry out terrorist attacks in Pakistan. We have been repeatedly calling upon the de facto authorities in Kabul to take all necessary measures to ensure that these weapons do not fall into the wrong hands,” MoFA said.

A day before his inauguration as US president, Donald Trump had told a rally of supporters that he planned to get weapons left behind by US forces back from the Afghan Taliban. The statement came as a surprise since the US has officially maintained that no weapons were left behind except those given to the Afghan army as part of its training and armament before the withdrawal.

However, the Taliban responded that they would not hand over weapons back to the US. The Taliban added that US should supply more weapons to fight ISIS-K.

Pakistan has consistently called upon Afghanistan to prevent the use of its territory by terrorists. Although Pakistan maintains a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, it has not officially recognized the Taliban government.