Afghan refugees continue to face deportation from both Pakistan and Iran, as tensions between the countries increase. Taliban officials reported that as many as 3,164 nationals were forced to return to Afghanistan on Monday alone.
The crackdown on Afghan refugees in Pakistan has been provoked by escalating military clashes, political disillusionment and a deepening economic crisis. To date, Islamabad has expelled roughly one million Afghans this year, with deportations no sign of slowing down. No one has been spared in the indiscriminate crackdown, which has left families devastated.
Pakistan has vowed to kick out all three million refugees from their neighbouring country, irrespective of immigration status or dangers they may face on return.
Afghanistan is in the midst of a severe humanitarian crisis, where jobs are virtually non-existent and affordable housing scarce.
The mass deportations are being driven by Islamabad’s frustration with the Taliban government in Kabul. Pakistan, a former supporter and backer of the Islamist group, has accused its top officials of financing and sheltering militants of the resurgent Pakistani Taliban (TTP).
The TTP has carried out lethal attacks on security forces inside Pakistan, including a suicide bombing at a paramilitary headquarters in Peshawar last week.
The deadly terrorist attack killed three officers and provoked a furious reaction from Islamabad. Pakistan’s army launched airstrikes on Afghanistan’s major cities and border areas, reportedly killing 10 people.
Government officials have used “national security interests” as a pretext for the brutal deportations.
General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, spokesman for Pakistan’s armed forces, said in an interview: “We have been welcoming and hosting them with open arms for decades. But a large number of Afghans are involved in criminal activities.”
Authorities have urged landlords to evict Afghan families and encouraged citizens to report them through a whistle-blower system.
