Conflict
Crisis/Conflict/Terrorism
Pakistan sends back 4,02,312 illegal foreigners, including Afghanistan nationals, to home nation

Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 03 Dec 2023, 11:33 am Print

Pakistan sends back 4,02,312 illegal foreigners, including Afghanistan nationals, to home nation Afghanistan

A displaced family carries their belongings in Kandahar, Afghanistan.Photo Courtesy: UNOCHA/Sayed Habib Bidel

At least 4,02,312 illegal foreigners, including Afghanistan nationals, have been sent back to their homeland by Pakistani officials, media reports said.

“Thousands of Afghans are returning to their homeland on a daily basis through Chaman and Torkham borders, thanking Pakistan for its generosity,” ARY News reported quoting Radio Pakistan.

According to reports, 3776 more illegal Afghan nationals returned to Afghanistan recently.

The country's Caretaker Provincial Information Minister Jan Achakzai earlier reportedly reiterated the government’s resolve and said that the illegal immigrants would be sent back to their own country at any cost.

He said the government has set a target of deporting 10,000 immigrants every day, reported the news channel.

Meanwhile, World Food Programme (WFP) is seeking $26.3 million to assist one million Afghans forced to leave Pakistan following the Government’s decision to deport undocumented foreigners.

The policy came into effect last month and more than 370,000 people have since made their way back to Afghanistan, where a harsh winter awaits them.

WFP are on the ground at two border crossings supplying families with cash to cover their most basic food needs.

Returnees face a bleak future in Afghanistan, where one-third of the people do not know where their next meal will come from and some areas in the west are also still reeling from multiple earthquakes.

Communities across the country rely on WFP food assistance to survive, but funding shortfalls have forced the agency to cut emergency assistance this year.