Repatriation of Afghans from Pakistan continues

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Despite burgeoning calls for a halt to deportations, the repatriation of illegal Afghan nationals from Pakistan continued.

Official data suggested on Tuesday 7,041 Afghan citizens left Pakistan from April 13 to April 22, including 2,967 men, 1,834 women and 2,240 children.

As of April 22, 2024, the number of illegal Afghans leaving Pakistan soared to 542,981. A total of 267 families have returned in 213 vehicles to Afghanistan.

Earlier in the week, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government cautioned against the deportation and harassment of the Afghan refugees living legally in Pakistan.

In an interview, a spokesman for the provincial government warned the expulsion of Afghans with residency documents could affect relations between the neighbours.

Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif claimed all undocumented Afghan migrants in KP had already been deported. At the moment, he said, no action was ongoing against legal Afghans.

International human rights groups and the caretaker government in Kabul have repeatedly urged Pakistan not to expel legal Afghan refugees.

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