US concerned over Pakistan’s move to repatriate Afghan nationals

WASHINGTON: A day after Pakistan announced a deadline of four weeks for all undocumented aliens, mostly Afghan nationals, to go back to their countries the United States expressed concerns over iver the move and asked Islamabad to reconsider it.

State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel at a daily press briefing in Washington said Pakistan had for long been a safe place for millions of if Afghan refugees.

He said of late too, Pakistan has been an easy stopover for thousands of Afghan nationals leaving their country due to the Taliban takeover of Kabul. 

He said rounding up such a large number of displaced Afghans and forcing them back to their country would create lots if issues and nay lead to another humanitarian crisis.

Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti on Tuesday announced that the government had fixed Nov 1 as the deadline for all foreigners illegally living in Pakistan to go back to their countries.

Speaking at a press conference after a meeting of the Apex Committee, he said after expiry of the deadline all law enforcement agencies would deport the aliens, including Afghan nationals.

Earlier, the police and other law enforcement agencies had been directed to collect data of all foreigners along with the status if their stay.

Police in Islamabad a few days ago rounded up at least 800 Afghan nationals and after verification found that half of them were illegally staying in the country.