Given the threat of mass deportation from Pakistan, the mass return of Afghan refugees to their homeland continues. As Pakistani authorities in the DPA border region said, around 24,000 Afghans left Pakistan yesterday alone.
Today there was once again a long line of men, women, children and trucks waiting at the Torkham border crossing, the most important checkpoint between the two countries.
1.7 million undocumented Afghans in Pakistan
The Pakistani government wants to deport refugees without residency status. The measure mainly affects people from Afghanistan, which is dominated by the Islamic Taliban.
According to government data, around 4.4 million Afghan refugees were recently living in Pakistan, 1.7 million of them without valid documents. According to authorities, more than 190,000 Afghans have already left the country before the November 1 deadline.
Pakistani authorities have been taking tough action against refugees since Wednesday. Several deportation centers were created. The Pakistani refugee authority reported arrests that also affected people with residency status.
Humanitarian organizations warn of consequences for returnees
Humanitarian organizations warn of critical conditions for returnees as winter approaches. Many families would have no place in Afghanistan to return to and would likely have to spend the winter in camps in the border region. Furthermore, Afghanistan is already in a serious humanitarian crisis.