KABUL — Pakistani authorities have released 141 Afghan nationals from detention and deported them back to Afghanistan, the Taliban-run Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said in a statement on Sunday.
According to the ministry, those released had been imprisoned for lacking legal residency documents. Among them were women and children.
The freed detainees had reportedly spent between two and 15 days in Pakistani jails before being deported. Their release follows a similar move earlier in the week, when 91 Afghan citizens were freed and sent back to Afghanistan.
According to figures compiled by Amu TV, based on reports from the Taliban’s refugee ministry, a total of 320 Afghan detainees have been released and repatriated from Pakistan since the beginning of this month.
Meanwhile, Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran have reported mistreatment at the hands of authorities in both countries.
For more than a year, Pakistan has intensified mass deportations of Afghan refugees, with thousands expelled under the government’s crackdown on undocumented migrants. Iran has also escalated deportations in recent months.
