KABUL, Afghanistan: Over 500,000 Afghans have left Pakistan in the four months since Islamabad ordered undocumented migrants to leave or face arrest, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday.
According to the latest figures shared by the UN migration agency, 500,200 Afghans left Pakistan between September 15, 2023 and January 13, 2024.
Most crossed the border in the days leading up to a November 1, 2023 exit deadline Islamabad set for the 1.7 million Afghans it said were living illegally in Pakistan, and as Pakistan police opened dozens of holding centres across various cities.
“Since the initial peak around November 1, the number of individuals crossing these official border points have consistently decreased but remains higher than pre-September 15th,” said an IOM statement.
Pakistan defended the crackdown by pointing to security concerns in its areas bordering Afghanistan and pressure on its struggling economy.
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“Some Afghans forced to return may be at risk of persecution, arbitrary arrest and detention and/or torture or ill-treatment,” the UN’s Afghan mission said in a report on Monday.
Meanwhile, a busiest border crossing between the two countries, Torkham, remained closed for the 10th day running in a dispute over document rules for commercial drivers.
The row revolves around demands for drivers from both sides to have visas and passports as Pakistan cracks down on cross-border movements. Many Afghan drivers don’t have proper documents.
Over 400 trucks were stranded on the Pakistan side of the Torkham border crossing on Monday, according to a border official who sought not to be named.
