Pakistani police have once again started rounding up refugees from Afghanistan, six days after border clashes broke out between border forces on both sides of the crossing.
Pakistani media reported Monday that Pakistani police detained 50 refugees from Afghanistan in Karachi and other cities.
Meanwhile, many refugees living in Pakistan have raised their concerns, saying that they are facing serious financial difficulties, and this latest move to detain refugees has added to their worries.
One refugee from Afghanistan, Zahir Entizar, said: “A lot of Afghans have been arrested, and these arrests continue. If the situation continues like this, the problems of migrants will increase.”
“Extending visas in Pakistan has become very difficult. Many of our people in Pakistan are facing economic difficulties,” said Tamim, another migrant in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the interim interior minister of Pakistan Sarfraz Bugti has said that measures have been taken against illegal immigrants in his country, and that these refugees will be returned to their country.
“We have made a policy, and the cabinet will probably approve it next week, under which, just like in other countries, we will only accept legal individuals. But illegal individuals from anywhere will be returned,” Bugti said.
According to the Taliban’s ministry of refugees and repatriations, more than seven million refugees from Afghanistan are living in Iran and Pakistan.
After the collapse of the republic, thousands of people from Afghanistan fled to Pakistan.
