News brief

Pakistan expels more Afghan nationals. Pakistan has expelled more than 80,000 Afghan nationals since the end of March, a senior official said on April 18, as part of a repatriation drive ahead of an April 30 deadline. Those without legal documents to stay or those holding Afghan Citizen Cards were warned to leave or face deportation. The push for repatriation began with a 2023 campaign called the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan. Pakistan has previously blamed militant attacks and crimes on Afghan citizens, who form the largest migrant group in the country. Afghanistan has rejected the accusations and has described the repatriation as forced deportation.

Pakistan has been routinely mass deporting Afghans since 2023, a dramatic about-face for a country that’s historically served as a refuge for people fleeing from neighboring Afghanistan.