As Pakistan cracks down on unlawful migrants, practically half one million Afghans have left, minister says

ISLAMABAD — Nearly half one million Afghans who have been dwelling in Pakistan with out legitimate paperwork have returned dwelling in simply over two months as a part of an ongoing crackdown on foreigners within the nation with out papers, the caretaker inside minister stated Friday.

The expulsions are a part of a nationwide crackdown by the federal government in Islamabad that began two months in the past. Pakistan insists the marketing campaign isn’t towards Afghans particularly, although they make up a lot of the foreigners within the nation.

Pakistan has lengthy hosted about 1.7 million Afghans, most of whom fled through the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation. In addition, greater than half one million folks fled Afghanistan when the Taliban seized energy in August 2021, within the last weeks of U.S. and NATO pullout.

At a information convention in Islamabad on Friday, caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti stated greater than 482,000 Afghans have returned dwelling up to now greater than two months, 90% going voluntarily. He stated Pakistan has additionally determined to deport 10 Afghans who have been within the nation legally however who have been participating in politics.

“Only Pakistani citizens are allowed to engage in political activities in the country. Any foreigner who is found involved in any political activity will be deported immediately,” he stated. Bugti didn’t determine the ten Afghans who’re being deported, nor did he give any particulars about their actions in Pakistan‘s politics.

Bugti said in the ongoing first phase, only undocumented Afghans were being deported but at some point every Afghan refugee would have to go back because Pakistan had already hosted them for up to 40 years.

Most of the Afghans did not try to get Pakistani citizenship, hoping they would not be forced to leave the country. The sudden change in the country’s coverage has strained relations with Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration, which wished Islamabad to present extra time to Afghans, a request that was not accepted by Pakistan.

Bugti’s remarks are prone to trigger panic among the many practically 1.4 million Afghans registered as dwelling in Pakistan.

His feedback come at a time when U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West is visiting Pakistan. On Thursday, West met with Pakistan‘s caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jillani, in accordance with the ministry.

According to Pakistani officers, the 2 sides mentioned a variety of points, together with the continued drive towards undocumented Afghans. The compelled expulsion of Afghans with out documentation has drawn widespread criticism from human rights activists, U.N. officers and others, who’ve requested Pakistan to rethink the coverage.

Currently, worldwide help teams and the U.N. are offering well being care and vitamin to these arriving in Afghanistan from Pakistan. The Taliban administration can also be offering help to returnees.