Pakistan to start action against Afghan migrants on Thursday

The interior minister of the caretaker government announced on Thursday that Pakistan will begin apprehending and evicting undocumented immigrants, including thousands of individuals from neighbouring Afghanistan. Islamabad revealed the plan earlier this month, claiming that crimes, smuggling, and attacks within its borders had been carried out by Afghan nationals. While rights organisations expressed their outrage and urged Pakistan to rethink, Kabul rejected the allegations. “Only two days are left for a voluntary return,” Sarfraz Bugti said in a video statement released on Tuesday. He continued without providing any more information about the time frame, saying only that the procedure would be “lengthy and gradual”. “No refugees are being deported by us. The only people who will leave Pakistan are those who are fully illegal.” The interior ministry estimates that over 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees reside in Pakistan, with roughly 1.7 million of them being undocumented. Islamabad has claimed that 14 suicide attacks this year involved Afghans and has charged militant organisations active in its territory with providing training to fighters attempting to cross the border. According to Bugti, the government will provide assistance to those departing voluntarily at makeshift centres. “We will try to provide them food and health facilities for two to three days,” he added. Pakistan has been asked by Western embassies and the UN to identify and shield Afghans who are in danger of persecution at home. (With agency inputs)