Pakistani security forces arrested at least 120 Afghan nationals on Friday for illegally crossing into Pakistan, according to Pakistani media reports.
The Afghan nationals were apprehended in the Chagai district of Baluchistan. Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that security forces launched a joint operation after receiving a tip-off about the presence of suspected foreigners near the borders of Iran and Afghanistan.
Officials said the detained individuals, all Afghan nationals, were attempting to cross into Iran illegally in search of job opportunities. “The arrested Afghan nationals were Uzbek and were going to Iran illegally in search of jobs,” Dawn quoted the officials as saying.
The report also stated that the detainees were handed over to Taliban border personnel at the Baramcha area.
Since the Taliban took power, Afghanistan’s economy has plunged into crisis, leaving millions of young people without job opportunities. Many seek to cross borders illegally in search of employment.
