ISTANBUL

Amid tensions over Islamabad’s move to expel illegal migrants, Afghanistan has told Pakistan that “mishandling” Afghan refugees can “adversely affect” bilateral relations. 

Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met Pakistan’s caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani in Tibet’s Xizang city on the sidelines of the third Trans-Himalaya Forum for International Cooperation in China’s autonomous region.

A brief statement released by Kabul on Friday said the two sides held “exhaustive discussions” regarding bilateral relations and trade.

The issues regarding Afghan businessmen and the problems of Afghan refugees in Pakistan were “core part of the discussion,” said Hafiz Zia Ahmad, deputy spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry.

Muttaqi told Jilani that “negative media outbursts, hindering transit and travel, and mishandling Afghan refugees can adversely affect bilateral relations and the economic scenarios of both countries.”

The Afghan foreign minister added that “such decisions and measures should be taken with deep consideration.”

According to Ahmad, the Pakistani side stressed the need for “addressing the controversial issues through dialogue and understanding.”

Islamabad has set Nov. 1 as the deadline for all undocumented migrants, mostly Afghans, to voluntarily leave the country, warning of arrests and deportations after that date, plunging the already strained relations between the two neighbors to a new low.

- Pakistan defends decision to expel illegal migrants

Jilani defended Pakistan’s decision to expel illegal immigrants.

“Whenever there was any problem, people would immigrate to Pakistan, take refuge in Pakistan and people of Pakistan would welcome it,” he said.

“But now I think it has been more than 40 years, so the government of Pakistan has taken a decision,” he added.

“No country allows illegal people to live in their country whether it is Europe, whether it is countries in Asia, in our neighborhood,” he told Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV.

However, Jilani acknowledged that the situation in Afghanistan has been stabilized.

“So, accordingly this is in line with the international practice that we have taken this decision,” he said.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, a record 28.3 million people currently depend on humanitarian and protection assistance in Afghanistan, up from 24.4 million in 2022 and 18.4 million in 2021.

Latest UN figures show some 1.3 million Afghans are registered refugees in Pakistan, while another 880,000 have legal status to stay in the country.

According to Pakistan’s caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti, over 1.7 million Afghan refugees are not registered with the government.

- Afghan refugees return home

Meanwhile, over 350 Afghans, including women and children, returned to Afghanistan in the last two days following Pakistan’s announcement to deport undocumented migrants as of next month.

“Around 36 trucks crossed into Afghanistan on Thursday and Friday,” a Pakistani official at Torkham border told Anadolu over phone on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media.

There were 60 to 70 families who returned Afghanistan along with their household goods, he added.

On Thursday, Islamabad police said they launched an operation to check illegal migrants and arrested over 500 people.

*Islamuddin Sajid contributed to this story from Islamabad.