Holding Centers in Pakistan to Handle Afghan Deportees Will Open

In preparation for a large-scale deportation, Pakistani officials planned to establish a number of centers around the nation on Wednesday to start processing hundreds of thousands of illegal Afghans.

The government has given 1.7 million Afghans who it claims are residing in the nation unlawfully until November 1 to either go freely or face deportation.

Over 20,000 people gathered at the border on Tuesday as the deadline approached, adding to the more than 100,000 people who had already fled in the last month.

“The only individuals who are going to leave Pakistan are those who are completely illegal,” Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said via video.

Pakistan’s approach, according to Mullah Yaqoob, the defense minister for the Taliban administration, is “cruel and barbaric.”

According to a provincial government spokeswoman for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, holding centers for Afghans to be detained for a day or two before processing will open on November 1.

“Anyone who refuses to leave will be taken into custody and deported. Tomorrow is the start of the combing operation against Afghans who are not legally in the country, Feroz Jamal told AFP on Tuesday.

Since most Afghan migrants reside in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the northern Torkham border has been used by more than 80% of those who have previously fled.

Following a major increase in assaults, which the government attributes to terrorists operating out of Afghanistan, Pakistan has said that the deportations are necessary to safeguard the “welfare and security” of the nation.

According to experts, the policy is widely supported by Pakistanis, despite the fact that a long-term refugee presence places a significant strain on the nation’s infrastructure.

Although Afghan refugees in Karachi and Islamabad have alleged arrests, harassment, and extortion, police in the region said they had not yet started making arrests as families go freely.

Activists and attorneys have called for additional time to allow Afghans, some of whom have lived in the nation for decades, to leave with dignity, claiming that the scope of the crackdown is unprecedented.

Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday that “the Pakistani government is using threats, abuse, and detention to coerce Afghan asylum seekers without legal status to return to Afghanistan or face deportation.”

“Many of the individuals who fled Afghanistan still face dangerous conditions there, and their deportation will put them at serious risk for security breaches, including dangers to their lives and welfare.”