Pakistan will consider expelling hundreds of thousands more Afghans in a continued clampdown

Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry says authorities will consider a plan to expel hundreds of thousands more Afghans who have been living in Pakistan for years, the latest in a monthslong government clampdown on undocumented migrants. Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters on Thursday that this plan may ultimately be rejected. She said it would be the “second phase” of the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan” and would involve Afghan who are registered and have citizen cards provided by Islamabad. Afghanistan’s Taliban-run government in Kabul has urged Pakistan to give more time for Afghans to leave the country. Such previous actions have also drawn sweeping criticism from the United Nations, aid agencies, and human rights groups.