Camp near border
ISLAMABAD: The interim Afghan government has decided to establish a refugee camp for individuals facing deportation from Pakistan due to illegal entry.
The decision is an outcome of a directive of Afghanistan’s government leader, Haibutallah.
To oversee the camp, Afghan Taliban formed a committee comprising officials from six different ministries.
Afghan government is establishing a camp near border to receive illegal Afghanis being deported this month.
This designated Afghan government camp is slated to be situated in the Lalpur district of Nangarhar province. It is strategically positioned just across the border from Pakistan.
The envisioned camp is intended to function as a tented settlement. Afghan government intends to seek assistance from international agencies to facilitate its establishment.
Furthermore, the government has resolved to cover the travel expenses for families led by females. Nearly 100,000 families have relocated from Pakistan to Afghanistan over the course of the past year.
In response to this situation, Pakistan has recently imposed a deadline of November 1st for illegal refugees to liquidate their assets and return across the border. Failure to comply with this deadline will result in deportation and asset forfeiture.
According to reports, a significant population of up to 1.7 million Afghan refugees currently resides in Pakistan without proper documentation.
Total number of Afghan nationals staying in Pakistan is around 4.4 million, according to the interior minister Sarfraz Bugti.
Pakistan bans 200+ items import under ATTA
Meanwhile, in a bid to discourage the smuggling of important items, the caretaker government imposed a ban on the import of more than 200 items under the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement.
Tea, tires, cosmetic and household electronic appliances are among the list of items the government has banned with immediate effect.
For decades, the Afghan Transit Trade has been a source of smuggling in Pakistan. It caused a dual loss to Pakistan _ damage to local industry and loss of tax revenues.
In the past, it had been noted that many trucks loaded with the goods imported under the ATTA were sold in Pakistan.
As the caretaker government has tightened the noose around smugglers and hoarders, it banned the imports of dozens of items under the ATTA.
Meanwhile, the government has set Nov 1, 2023, the deadline for foreigners, including Afghan nationals who are living here unlawfully to leave the country.
