Afghanistan’s Taliban government has urged Pakistan to give undocumented Afghans in the country more time to leave as pressure mounts at border posts where thousands of returnees have gathered, fleeing the threat of deportation.
The Pakistani government has given 1.7 million undocumented Afghans in the country until November 1 to leave voluntarily or be forcibly removed.
More than 130,000 people have left Pakistan since the order was given at the start of October, according to Pakistani border officials, creating bottlenecks on either side of crossing points.
Taliban authorities thanked Pakistan and other countries that have hosted millions of Afghans who fled during decades of conflict.
However, in a statement late on Tuesday, they also “asked them to not forcibly deport Afghans with little notice but to give them time to prepare”.
