Greater than 450,000 Afghans have left the nation since Pakistani authorities launched a deportation drive in October.
Islamabad, Pakistan – The Pakistani authorities has introduced that undocumented Afghans awaiting paperwork to resettle to a 3rd nation can be allowed to remain in Pakistan for 2 extra months.
The extension of the deadline on Wednesday from the top of this yr to February 29 comes amid Pakistan’s drive to expel multiple million foreigners dwelling within the nation with out paperwork.
Based on the United Nations refugee company (UNHCR), greater than 450,000 individuals have returned to neighbouring Afghanistan because the deportation campaign started in early October. Ninety p.c of them did so “voluntarily”, in accordance with the Pakistani authorities, however the UNHCR says they cited fear of arrest as the first cause for his or her resolution to depart.
Saying the extension, interim info minister Murtaza Solangi stated anyone overstaying the brand new deadline can be fined $100 month-to-month, with a cap set at $800.
“These measures had been aimed toward encouraging the Afghans residing illegally in Pakistan to acquire authorized paperwork or finalise evacuation agreements as quickly as attainable in a 3rd nation,” Solangi added.
The announcement adopted a go to to Pakistan by US State Division officers to debate the problem of Afghan refugees. It’s estimated that almost 25,000 Afghans require paperwork for resettlement in the US.
Pakistan estimates that greater than 1.7 million Afghan nationals have lengthy lived within the nation with out paperwork, with the bulk arriving in numerous waves because the Soviet invasion in 1979.
The final such main inflow of an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 individuals befell two years in the past after the Taliban took management of Afghanistan.
Pakistani authorities have cited a dramatic surge in violence this yr – there have been greater than 600 assaults within the first 11 months of 2023 – for the deportation drive.
Interim Inside Minister Sarfraz Bugti stated in October that 14 out of 24 suicide assaults within the nation over that interval had been carried out by Afghan nationals. He didn’t present any proof.
The Taliban has denied any accusations of offering shelter to fighters, sustaining their place that Afghanistan’s soil just isn’t getting used for cross-border violence.