Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – Torkham border crossing, now known as zero point, is bearing witness to a growing humanitarian crisis as thousands of expelled refugees are entering Afghanistan as Pakistan is ramping up its mass expulsions of undocumented Afghans.
At the beginning of October, Pakistan’s interim government announced a deadline for the expulsion of all undocumented foreigners, including 1.7 million Afghans, by November 1. While the deadline has come and gone, Pakistani authorities remain steadfast in their determination to proceed with these expulsions, even by force if necessary.
The impact of this decision is felt keenly at the border crossing point. Afghan border guards have reported a drastic increase in the number of returnees, with more than 16,000 passing through in a single day, a stark contrast to the 300 people per day handled before the expulsion announcement.
At a registration desk merely 50 meters from the “zero point,” Afghan soldiers struggle to maintain order among hundreds of returnees. A nearby refugee camp, housing nearly 30,000 residents, has become a makeshift settlement for those with nowhere else to go.
Many of the returnees find themselves in dire straits, forced to leave Pakistan due to a crackdown on undocumented residents. This situation has left them unemployed and without a place to live. Some even had valid Pakistani residency cards, but their undocumented family members faced eviction and discrimination.
Pakistan has established deportation centers, and there are reports of Afghans being rounded up in Pakistani cities. In response, Islamabad’s acting interior minister, Sarfraz Bugti, has warned Pakistani citizens against sheltering undocumented foreigners, with prosecution as the consequence.
On the Afghan side, the caretaker government administered by the Taliban is grappling with the challenge of accommodating up to 1.7 million returnees, many of whom are unfamiliar with the country and its new rulers. The government has imposed strict limits on the amount of money deportees can take out of the country.
Arafat Muhajir, an official from the Afghan Ministry of Transportation, stated that they provide small amounts of financial assistance to returnees to help them travel to other cities, with each family receiving up to 4,000 afghanis ($53).
For those returnees who claim to have valid documents and should not have been expelled, a local NGO interviews them and reports their cases to the UN. However, there have been cases of Pakistani officers allegedly tearing up valid residency cards.
The living conditions for the returnees are dire, with most sleeping in makeshift arrangements or the backs of lorries. The Red Crescent provides medical assistance, while Afghan soldiers search for children who are alone in the crowds, attempting to reunite them with their families.
Tents set up by Taliban authorities serve as registration points, where civil servants collect information and biometrics from returnees. However, frustrations run high as elderly men demand answers about how long they must stay in this place.
Sultan Mohammad Mufaqir, an official from the Ministry of Interior, hopes for international assistance to alleviate the situation.
The challenges faced by the returnees have raised concerns, with one man sarcastically commenting that the aid provided is not as generous as it seems.
As the crisis unfolds, the acting prime minister of the Taliban administration, Mohammad Hassan Akhundzada, expressed his dismay at the treatment of deportees, emphasizing the need for humane policies.
Mosques in the vicinity of Torkham delivered sermons, calling for assistance to migrants. In a town 30 kilometers away, residents gather to welcome the returnees back to Afghanistan, cheering and waving as the ordeal comes to an end for some, while hundreds of thousands still await their fate.
The border crisis at the “zero point” continues to be a pressing issue, demanding attention and humanitarian action.
