400,000 unregistered Afghan refugees face deportation by Pakistan
Report— Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Some 400,000 unregistered Afghan refugees are facing possible deportation from Pakistan after a deadline for them to register expires on June 30.
Pakistan is home to some 1.7 million registered Afghan refugees. Pakistani officials say they can no longer also carry the burden of an additional 400,000 undocumented Afghans in the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said police have compiled lists of illegal Afghans and, once the June 30 deadline passes, will arrest unregistered Afghans for a court appearance and deportation back to Afghanistan.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says fighting between Pakistan’s army and Taliban militants in the province’s Swat Valley has displaced more than 1.5 million people since the start of May, putting enormous pressure on state and provincial social services.
Afghanistan is the leading source of refugees, according to UN figures from 2011, accounting for 2.7 million people.
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