Pakistan opens three new border crossings to expedite repatriation of Afghans

Tariq Butt / Agencies

Pakistan on Monday opened three new border crossings to accelerate the repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals who have been ordered to leave the country or face expulsion, officials said.

Many Afghans have opted to go home voluntarily to avoid deportation under a government push for undocumented migrants to be expelled. Pakistan’s move affects more than 1 million Afghans, many of whom Islamabad says have been involved in militant attacks and crime, a claim Kabul rejects.

The new crossings were set up at the Afghan border in southwestern Balochistan province in addition to the main crossing in Chaman district, said Jan Achakzai, information minister for the provincial caretaker government.

The main crossing had been overwhelmed with Afghan refugees seeking to return home voluntarily, he said.

More than 280,000 Afghan nationals have left Pakistan since the new policy was announced in early October, according to the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR).

Islamabad has begun round-up operations across the country after the deadline for voluntary departure expired on Nov.1. Pakistan has so far rejected calls from the United Nations, rights groups and Western embassies to reconsider its expulsion plan or to identify and protect Afghans who risk persecution at home. Kabul has also asked Islamabad to give Afghan nationals ample time to leave. The expulsions mostly affect Afghans, who make up the majority of foreigners in Pakistan.

The number of border crossings used to deport thousands of Afghans rose to five after the new facilities were opened in southwestern Balochistan province, said Achakzai.

Currently, about 15,000 Afghans have been crossing the border every day from Pakistan. Before the crackdown, the figure was around 300. International aid agencies have documented chaotic and desperate scenes among Afghans who have returned from Pakistan.

“Many Afghans in Pakistan are now facing police raids and demolition of their homes without due process. Detainees have been denied the right to a lawyer and communication with family members, leaving loved ones in the dark as to their whereabouts,” Amnesty International wrote on X, formerly Twitter. It asked Pakistan to immediately halt deportations to prevent further escalation of this crisis.

Achakzai said police in Balochistan in recent days had arrested more than 1,500 Afghans who had no valid documents.

Also on Monday, police said officers are investigating whether an Afghan man, Asif Khan, killed his 25-year-old Pakistani wife, Ameena Bibi, because she refused to go to Afghanistan with him. The incident happened the previous day in the northwestern city of Nowshera, police official Yasir Khan said. He said the suspect left the country with his four children.

In a related development, a report prepared by the Sindh Home Department described illegal immigrants as a security threat and said that provincial demography will be completely altered by 2040 if they were not repatriated.

As regards new crossings, officials said the government has proposed to open one border crossing point in the Badini-Shinband area of Qila Saifullah and two in Brabcha and Noor Wahab areas of Chagai district.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other departments involved in the repatriation were facing difficulties in processing and registering the migrants coming from different areas of Balochistan and other provinces.

The existing border crossing in Chaman has been overwhelmed due to the influx of illegal immigrants, officials said.

According to details, immigrants from Zhob, Loralai, Sherani and other nearby areas would be repatriated through the Badini-Shinband crossing.

The Qila Saifullah assistant commissioner has appointed a Levies officer in Badini as the focal person to oversee the repatriation process.

Those coming from Noshki, Chagai, Kharan, Washuk and the coastal district of Gwadar will be sent to Afghanistan from the other crossing points.