At least 200,000 Afghan refugees have returned to the war-torn nation from Pakistan since Nov. 1, a spokesman for the interim Afghan administration told Anadolu. Suhail Shaheen, who is also Taliban admin’s nominee to the UN, told Anadolu: “By estimates, some 200,000 Afghans have returned.” Shaheen, however, said he cannot confirm the exact number of refugees who have returned to Afghanistan since Nov. 1. Pakistan had set Nov. 1 as a deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the South Asian nation.
Nearly one million people are targeted under what Islamabad calls the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.” The UN has urged Islamabad to halt such plans. Convoys of Afghan refugees made beelines on their way back to Afghanistan and the interim Taliban administration has set up two main camps on their side of the border in Torkham and Spin Boldak. Shaheen, who is a member of a media commission to oversee the repatriation of refugees to Afghanistan, said: “There are thousands of Afghan refugees facing forcible expulsion from Pakistan and their properties are taken from them unlawfully, unfortunately.” At least 12 committees have been set up by the Taliban.—Anadolu
