Around 1.7 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan face a mass exodus as Islamabad has given them an ultimatum to leave the country by November 1. [2] Bugti claimed that some 1.73 million Afghan nationals in the country had allegedly “no legal documents” to stay, adding a total of 4.4 million Afghan refugees lived in Pakistan. [4]However, civil society and refugee organisations say accusing Afghan refugees in Pakistan of supporting terrorism is mere propaganda. [9] In public discourse, most Afghan refugees are seen as potential terrorists, criminals who traffic drugs or steal jobs in Pakistan. Taliban officials have condemned the deportation timeline of “undocumented” Afghan refugees from Pakistan and urged the UN to stop the looming exodus.

Source: The Express Tribune October 11, 2023 12:16 UTC