Pakistan interior minister says 80% of armed attackers entered from Afghanistan

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has claimed that about 80% of those involved in the country’s current wave of armed violence entered from Afghanistan, an allegation Islamabad has previously made about attacks in Pakistan being launched from Afghan soil.

Speaking on Tuesday in a session of Pakistan’s Senate, Naqvi said the government’s concern was with armed men crossing the Afghan border, not with the Pashtun community or any specific tribe. He added that Pakistani officials in many cases do not know the identity or tribal background of these individuals, and only know them as armed men who entered from the Afghan side.

Pakistani media reported that Naqvi estimated the number of people involved in the current wave of “terrorism” who entered from Afghanistan at about 80%. He did not provide evidence for the figure in his remarks to the Senate.

In recent months, Pakistani officials have made similar allegations as armed attacks have increased, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Earlier this month, they claimed that Afghan nationals carried out 37 suicide attacks in the province over the past two years, and attributed most of the 14 suicide attacks this year to Afghan nationals as well.

After two suicide attacks in November 2025, Naqvi had also told Pakistan’s parliament that the attackers were Afghan nationals and described it as a serious security concern for his country. Pakistani officials have repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to prevent Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and other armed groups from using Afghan territory to plan and carry out attacks in Pakistan.