ISLAMABAD: Over 650,000 Afghans living in Pakistan have been repatriated to their home country since the government launched a deportation drive last year, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said on Monday, with at least 15,727 expelled in the last two weeks.
Until November before it began the deportation drive, Pakistan was home to over 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, about 1.7 million of whom were undocumented. Afghans make up the largest portion of migrants, many of whom came after the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021, but a large number have been present since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
The expulsion drive was launched after a spike in suicide bombings since last year which the Pakistan government — without providing evidence — says mostly involves Afghans. Islamabad has also blamed them for smuggling and other militant violence and crime. At the time, cash-strapped Pakistan, navigating record inflation and a tough International Monetary Fund bailout program, also said undocumented migrants had drained its resources for decades.
Islamabad insists the deportation drive is not aimed specifically at Afghans but all those living illegally in Pakistan.
“According to the latest statistics, 15,727 Afghans returned to their country over the last two weeks,” Radio Pakistan said on Monday. ” With this, the figure of Afghan returnees has reached 653,154.”
Last week, the South Asian state decided to extend by a year the deadline of UNHCR-issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards given to almost 1.5 million Afghans after the UN refugee commissioner asked for a pause in the country’s plan to repatriate refugees.
In October 2023, Pakistan announced phase one of the ‘Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan’ with a 30-day deadline for “undocumented” aliens to leave the country or be subject to deportation, putting 1.4 million Afghan refugees at risk.
In phase two of the ‘repatriation plan,’ around 600,00 Afghans who hold Pakistan-issued Afghan citizenship cards (ACCs) will be expelled while phase three is expected to target those with UNHCR-issued PoR cards.
The deportation drive has led to a spike in tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban rulers in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s crackdown on undocumented migrants has also drawn sweeping criticism from the United Nations, aid agencies and human rights groups.
Over 650,000 ‘illegal’ Afghans expelled from Pakistan since deportation drive began last year
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Over 650,000 ‘illegal’ Afghans expelled from Pakistan since deportation drive began last year
- 15,727 Afghan nationals returned to Afghanistan in last two weeks, Radio Pakistan says
- Islamabad accuses Afghans of being behind spate of recent militant attacks in Pakistan
Bangladesh approves new rice imports from Pakistan amid price pressures
- The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971
- Diplomatic ties between the two nations have improved since the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina after mass protests last year
DHAKA: Bangladesh has approved the import of 50,000 metric tons of white rice from Pakistan under a government-to-government deal as part of efforts to stabilize domestic prices, officials said on Tuesday.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase cleared the deal at $395 per ton, reinforcing Dhaka’s renewed trade engagement with Islamabad.
Rice prices in Bangladesh have jumped by between 15 percent and 20 percent over the past year, with medium-quality rice selling at about 80 taka ($0.66) per kilogram. Despite increased imports and the removal of duties to ease supply constraints, prices for the staple grain remain stubbornly high.
The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971. In February, it imported 50,000 tons of rice from Pakistan at $499 per ton under a similar agreement.
Diplomatic ties between the two South Asian nations have improved since an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took office after mass protests forced then prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to neighboring India last year.
Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh gained independence after a nine-month war in 1971, and relations with Pakistan have remained fraught in the decades since the conflict.
Separately, the government approved another 50,000 tons of parboiled rice through an international tender, part of a series of recent purchases aimed at cooling local prices. India’s Pattabhi Agro Foods secured the contract with the lowest bid of $355.77 per ton.
