Current:Home > MyPakistan opens 3 new border crossings to deport Afghans in ongoing crackdown on migrants-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Pakistan opens 3 new border crossings to deport Afghans in ongoing crackdown on migrants
View Date:2024-12-24 00:48:57
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan on Monday opened three new border crossings to expedite the deportation of Afghans living in the country illegally, officials said.
Nearly 300,000 Afghans have left Pakistan in recent weeks since authorities started arresting and deporting foreign nationals without papers after the Oct. 31 deadline for migrants without legal status to leave the country voluntarily.
The expulsions mostly affect Afghans, who make up the majority of foreigners in Pakistan. It has drawn criticism from the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan as well as human rights organizations.
The number of border crossings used to deport thousands of Afghans rose to five after the new facilities were opened in southwestern Baluchistan province, said Jan Achakzai, the caretaker provincial information minister.
Currently, about 15,000 Afghans have been crossing the border every day from Pakistan. Before the crackdown, around 300 people were crossing each day.
International aid agencies have documented chaotic and desperate scenes among Afghans who have returned from Pakistan.
Achakzai said police in Baluchistan in recent days had arrested more than 1,500 Afghans who had no valid documents.
A prominent Pakistani human rights lawyer, Moniza Kakar, said in the southern port city of Karachi that police had launched midnight raids on homes and detained Afghan families, including women and children.
The head of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Hina Jilani, said Pakistan lacks a comprehensive mechanism to handle refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants without papers, despite hosting Afghans for 40 years.
Violence against Pakistani security forces and civilians has surged since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan two years ago. Most attacks have been claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, a separate militant group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban.
Pakistan often accuse the Taliban of harboring militants from groups like the TTP — allegations the Taliban deny — and said Afghans without permanent legal status are responsible for some of the attacks.
Pakistan has long hosted millions of Afghans, most of whom fled during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation. More than half a million fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Stocks soared on news of Trump's election. Bonds sank. Here's why.
- Halloween decor drop: Home Depot's 12-foot skeleton, 7-foot Skelly dog go on sale soon
- Search suspended for pilot and passenger after tour helicopter crash off Hawaii’s Kauai island
- 2024 Republican National Convention begins today on heels of Trump assassination attempt. Here's what to know.
- Watch: Military dad's emotional return after a year away
- Magnitude 3.4 earthquake recorded outside of Chicago Monday morning
- What to watch as the Republican National Convention kicks off days after Trump assassination attempt
- MLB draft 2024 recap and analysis: Guardians take Travis Bazzana No. 1, first round results
- Insurance magnate pleads guilty as government describes $2B scheme
- Nigeria school collapse kills at least 22 students as they take exams
Ranking
- Roster limits in college small sports put athletes on chopping block while coaches look for answers
- Armie Hammer Details Why He Sold Timeshares in the Cayman Islands Amid Sexual Assault Allegations
- Shannen Doherty's Charmed Costar Brian Krause Shares Insight Into Her Final Days
- Search suspended for pilot and passenger after tour helicopter crash off Hawaii’s Kauai island
- 12 college students charged with hate crimes after assault in Maryland
- Powerball winning numbers for July 13 drawing: Jackpot rises to $64 million
- Rep. Jason Crow says unless there is a major change, there's a high risk that Democrats lose the election
- 'Good Morning Football' set to relaunch in July after NFL Network reboots show
Recommendation
-
Cruise ship rescues 4 from disabled catamaran hundreds of miles off Bermuda, officials say
-
What to know about the attempt on Trump’s life and its aftermath
-
Macy’s ends takeover talks with Arkhouse and Brigade citing lack of certainty over financing
-
Watch as Biden briefs reporters after Trump rally shooting: 'No place in America for this'
-
My Little Pony finally hits the Toy Hall of Fame, alongside Phase 10 and Transformers
-
Anthony Davis leads Team USA over Australia in Olympic exhibition
-
Kate Middleton and Prince William Share Heartwarming Photo of Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
-
Aegon survived! 'House of the Dragon' star on Episode 5 dragon fallout