As winter approaches, the acting commerce minister for the Taliban expressed concern about the severe conditions faced by thousands of Afghan citizens being expelled from Pakistan.
“Winter is coming, and I’m sure that the immigrants are having many problems, their medicine and health issues, their food issues, and issues of winter and cold,” said Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban’s acting commerce minister, in an interview with Reuters.
Earlier this month, Pakistan stated that the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans was a response to the unwillingness of the Taliban-led administration to address militants using Afghanistan for attacks in Pakistan.
Taliban officials maintain that militancy is an internal matter for Pakistan and have urged Islamabad to cease deporting Afghan citizens.
Returning Afghan citizens have reported restrictions on transferring cash and property to Afghanistan from Pakistan, where many had established businesses and homes over decades.
“Since it is a matter of people’s assets, it should be discussed in detail, and a solution should be found to this important issue,” added the minister.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Afghanistan also expressed deep concern about the survival of Afghan refugees arriving from Pakistan, facing harsh winter conditions.
“Most of them have lost everything in Pakistan, including their assets, homes, belongings, and other properties, and now they don’t have anything in here. So for making a good start in here, I think it is very important that everyone should stand with these people, including the international community and other countries and parties involved in this process,” said Abdul Khaliq Sediqi, Communication Coordinator of IRC in Afghanistan.
Tens of thousands of Afghans, many residing in Pakistan for decades, have been forced to leave the country, and authorities are conducting raids to round up many more.
