Islamabad today ordered all immigrants in Pakistan illegally to leave the country or face deportation, after the Pakistani government said 14 of the 24 suicide bombings carried out in the country were carried out by Afghans.

Interior Minister Safraz Bugti said all illegal immigrants have until November 1 to leave Pakistan or be forcibly deported.

He added that about 1.73 million Afghans are in Pakistan and do not have legal documents to stay in the country. A total of 4.4 million Afghan refugees live in Pakistan.

It was not immediately clear how the Pakistani authorities would succeed in deporting the illegal immigrants.

“There is no doubt that we are being attacked from inside Afghanistan and that Afghan nationals are involved in attacks against us,” the interior minister stressed. “We have proof.”

Bugti’s statements were made after a meeting held today in the Pakistani capital by political and military leaders. In it the prime minister and the army chief discussed law and order issues.

Two suicide bombings targeting religious gatherings in Pakistan last week killed at least 57 people. Bugti said one of the suicide bombers was identified as an Afghan national.

Islamabad has received the largest influx of Afghan refugees since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

The Afghan Taliban government did not immediately react to Islamabad’s announcement.

Islamabad’s announcement marks a new low in relations with Kabul, which worsened after border clashes last month.

The Afghan Taliban deny accusations that Afghan territory is being used for militant activities and have said Pakistan’s security is an internal matter.

Militant attacks have increased in Pakistan since 2022, following the collapse of a ceasefire agreement between the Pakistani government and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which brings together various hardline Sunni Islamic groups. The TTP has denied involvement in last week’s deadly attacks.

The Islamic State also operates in the border areas of Afghanistan and has been involved in attacks inside Pakistan.

The Pakistani military had carried out numerous attacks against Islamist militants, mainly in the rugged mountainous region along the border with Afghanistan, forcing them to flee to Afghanistan.

Islamabad claims militants are using Afghan soil to train fighters and plan attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies, saying Pakistan’s security is an internal matter.