Pakistan has announced it will launch a campaign for the expulsion of all Afghan refugees after January 2024.
Baluchistan Information Minister Jan Muhammad Achakzai told a press conference the eviction of undocumented Afghan migrants would end in January next.
The caretaker government would then announce a fresh schedule for the eviction of documented Afghan refugees as well, he added.
Pointing to the current security situation in Afghanistan, Achakzai said war had ended in that country and the refugees should leave Pakistan.
The government of Pakistan announced a deadline for all undocumented Afghan refugees to leave that country by November 1 or they would face forcible deportations. Tens of thousands of refugees had since returned to Afghanistan.
In Kabul, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) says over 300,000 Afghan migrants have so far returned to the country via the Spin Boldak and Torkham crossings.
The forcible expulsion of refugees has drawn a backlash from the government of Afghanistan and International humanitarian organisations. However, Pakistan continues to defend its decision as an important step for its security.
The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has slammed the forcible expulsion of Afghan refugees from Pakistan as an illegal step.
He said: “In the first place, the forced eviction of refugees is an illegal reprehensible act. If the afghan refugees return, the government and the nation are ready for their resettlement.”
Mujahid called the allegation of Afghan refugees’ involvement in creating security problems for Pakistan far from true.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said with the advent of winter, forced deportations from Pakistan are deepening Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
According to a fresh report of UNHCR, after returning to Afghanistan, the refugees will witness more competition in accessing shelter, health services and finding employment.
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