More than 1.7 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan are set to be deported after the deadline to leave the country voluntarily passed Nov. 1, Reuters reported Tuesday.
Pakistan wants to deport all undocumented Afghans in the country, citing security concerns over suicide bombings this year, other terrorist attacks and smuggling activity, Reuters reported. (RELATED: Biden Admin Secretly Encouraged Overthrow Of Leader Who Wasn’t Pro-Ukraine Enough, Leaked Cable Reveals)
Tens of thousands of Afghan nationals are being forced to return to Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, before a November 1 deadline that Pakistan set for undocumented migrants to leave the country https://t.co/Ii8LiIdPlp pic.twitter.com/Q9lD0ebkk6
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 31, 2023
More than 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees live in Pakistan, and an estimated 1.7 million are estimated to be undocumented, the outlet noted.
Over 70,000 Afghans have returned to their home country since Pakistan announced Oct. 3 its intention to deport the undocumented, Arab News reported.
“We’d live here [in Pakistan] our whole life if they didn’t send us back,” Muhammad Rahim said, according to Reuters. The 35-year-old Afghan reportedly decided to voluntarily go back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
“We had our own barbecue shop and meat shop here. We had … everything. We were guests here,” an 18-year-old named Muhammad said, per Reuters. The teenager also made the trip from Pakistan back to Afghanistan.
“You should think of it this way: that the country is kicking out its guests,” he added, according to Reuters.
Others expressed they would not voluntarily go back to Afghanistan.
“If the police come to my door tomorrow, I will plead with them, implore them to let me stay. I cannot go back, but I don’t know how else to convince them to let me stay here,” Adeela Akhtar, a 47-year-old mother of two, said, according to Al Jazeera.
Human Rights Watch has accused the Pakistani government of engaging in threats, abuse and detention to drive undocumented Afghans back to their homeland.