Taliban Calls Pakistan's Decision to Expel 1.7 Million Afghan Migrants 'Unacceptable'

On Wednesday, the Taliban rejected accusations against the Afghan migrant community regarding creating security problems for Pakistan and urged the country to reconsider its plans to expel Afghan migrants. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, described Pakistan's treatment of Afghan refugees as unacceptable and stated that Pakistan should revise its program. He added, 'Afghan refugees are not responsible for Pakistan's security issues, and Pakistan should tolerate them until they voluntarily wish to leave the country.' On Tuesday, Sarfaraz Bugti, Pakistan's Interior Minister, announced that 'illegal migrants' remaining in Pakistan after the deadline would be arrested and returned to their countries. Bugti defended the crackdown on illegal migrants in Pakistan, stating that 14 out of 24 suicide attacks in Pakistan this year were carried out by Afghan nationals, and 8 out of 11 militants who recently attacked two military facilities in Pakistan were Afghan citizens. He emphasized that over 1.4 million officially registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan and at least 850,000 Afghan citizenship cardholders are not the targets of the crackdown. The United Nations and human rights groups have expressed concern over Pakistan's plans to expel Afghan migrants, stating that hundreds of thousands of refugees at risk of expulsion fled Afghanistan to escape Taliban persecution. Afghan refugees are reluctant to return to Afghanistan due to the extensive restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women's work and education. A bomb explosion in Pakistan left at least fifty dead and seventy injured. The explosion in Balochistan, Pakistan, resulted in approximately 52 fatalities. Border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan have kept the Torkham crossing closed. Clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistan have also led to the closure of the Torkham crossing.