Over 500,000 Afghans fled last year due to expulsion orders for undocumented migrants
\nPESHAWAR
\nData is being gathered on Afghan migrants \u2013 including those legally resident in the country \u2013 ahead of a renewed eviction push slated to start after Eid, official sources told AFP on Tuesday.
\nMore than half a million Afghans fled Pakistan last year after the former government ordered undocumented migrants to leave or face arrest, as Islamabad-Kabul relations soured over security.
\nIslamabad initially set a November 2023 deadline, however two officials, who asked to remain anonymous, said evictions would resume in the coming weeks.
\n\u201cThis time, instructions have been given to also collect data and conduct mapping of legally resident Afghan citizens,\u201d said a top government official in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
\nA senior K-P police official said whilst \u201ca final decision\u201d has not yet been taken by the government, \u201cpolice have sprung into action regarding Afghan citizens\u201d.
\n\u201cThe federal government has directed to not only collect data of legal and illegal Afghan citizens but also to conduct their mapping,\u201d he said.
\nTwo officials, who asked not to be named, previously told AFP the renewed push to evict migrants will begin after Eid, set to be celebrated in April\u2019s second week.
\nThe interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
\nIslamabad has previously said the massive eviction scheme is justified by security concerns and its faltering economy.
\nBut analysts say it is designed to pressure Kabul over rising attacks in the country\u2019s border regions with Afghanistan, where the Taliban government is accused of giving militants patronage and safe haven.
\nThe Taliban government has consistently denied the allegations.
\nMillions of Afghans have poured into Pakistan over the years, fleeing decades of cascading conflict.
\nAfghans who left Pakistan last year were only allowed to cross the border with limited belongings and cash, and arrived in the midst of one of the world\u2019s worst humanitarian crises.
\nSome had never set foot in Afghanistan before, having been born in Pakistan to Afghan parents.
\nAn estimated 600,000 arrived since the Taliban government seized power in August 2021 and imposed its stark interpretation of Islamic law.
\nBefore the first wave of evictions began, Islamabad estimated there were 1.7 million Afghans living illegally in the country.
\nThe stand-off between Islamabad and Kabul worsened last week when eight civilians were killed in Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan\u2019s border regions, according to Taliban officials.
\nIslamabad\u2019s attack came after seven Pakistani troops were killed by militants on Pakistani soil, which President Asif Ali Zardari blamed on outside forces and vowed retribution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Over 500,000 Afghans fled last year due to expulsion orders for undocumented migrants PESHAWAR Data is being gathered on Afghan migrants \u2013 including those legally resident in the country \u2013 ahead of a renewed eviction push slated to start after Eid, official sources told AFP on Tuesday. More than half a million Afghans fled Pakistan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":396445,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-396466","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n