Against the backdrop of threatened mass deportations from Pakistan, more than 200,000 Afghans have now left the South Asian country, according to government figures. The “repatriation process” is going smoothly, acting Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti told the German news agency on Saturday. The figures relate to the period in recent weeks since the nuclear power announced its intention to deport refugees.
The Pakistani government recently announced it would deport refugees without residency status and gave them a November 1 deadline to leave the country voluntarily. The measure mainly targets Afghans from the neighboring country, which is dominated by the radical Islamist Taliban, who make up the bulk of migrants entering the country illegally in Pakistan. The Pakistani government’s plans are raising the mood ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for February.
Tens of thousands already “forcibly deported”
The Interior Ministry of the Taliban who rule Afghanistan said about 57,000 Afghans were “forcibly deported” from Friday evening to Saturday morning. According to Pakistani government figures, there are currently approximately 4.4 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, 1.7 million of whom are without valid documents.
Meanwhile, the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warned that around 200 Afghan media workers in Pakistan were at risk of deportation. Sending the journalists back would endanger their lives, RSF warned.
After the Taliban came to power in the summer of 2021, scores of reporters fled abroad and also to Pakistan for fear of repression.
Increased seizures
Pakistan is currently facing increasing attacks from militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). Despite its ideological proximity, the TTP is independent of the Taliban government in neighboring Afghanistan. However, Pakistan accuses the Taliban ruling Afghanistan of providing protection to the TTP on their territory.
Source: Krone
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