Pakistan says nearly 25,000 Afghans waiting for visas to US won’t be deported as part of clampdown

By MUNIR AHMED
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s prime minister has sought to reassure at least 25,000 Afghans waiting in Pakistan for resettlement in the United States that they won’t be deported as part of his government’s widely criticized crackdown on undocumented migrants in the country. Islamabad has launched a clampdown on illegal migration, saying any unregistered foreign national and migrant lacking proper documentation would face arrest and deportation. The drive mostly affects Afghans although the government says it’s targeting all who are in the country illegally. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said on Wednesday that Pakistan would not send back Afghans who have been waiting for more than two years for U.S. officials to process their visa applications.