the second phase of the controversial repatriation of nearly 1M Afghan refugees is expected to start.

The “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan” is expected to see people voluntarily return to Afghanistan.

Phase 2 was supposed to start in April but was delayed as Afghanistan government told Pakistan it wasn’t capable to deal with an influx of a massive number of refugees.

The Taliban government said both Pakistan and Iran have forcibly deported over 400, 000 refugees this year so far, while Pakistan is responsible for 75% of the deportations.

People who don’t leave will face arrest and deportation. More than 541,000 went to Afghanistan under the initial phase, which started in NOV 2023. Before this repatriation started, an estimated 3.1M Afghans refugees were living in Pakistan with about 1.7M being undocumented, according to the UN estimates.

Pakistan has defended its crackdown by pointing to security concerns and pressure on a struggling economy.

But analysts say it’s all designed to pressure the Taliban government over militancy along their border.

Aljazeera.