Afghan repatriation through Torkham gains pace

KHYBER: The return of undocumented Afghan families through the Torkham border has accelerated after the federal government ordered the arrest and deportation of Afghan nationals living in Pakistan without valid visas, officials at the Hamza Baba transit point in Landi Kotal said.

Officials said the registration and verification counters at the transit facility were seeing a growing rush as more Afghan families opted to leave for Afghanistan over fears of arrest and deportation. They said the number of individuals reaching the Nadra desk each day after receiving tokens had increased to 1,200 to 1,300, up from 600 to 700 earlier. Each individual or family head was typically accompanied by at least five children, who were exempt from registration.

An official said the number of Afghans crossing back through Torkham daily had climbed from 3,500-4,000 to about 6,000, adding that the figure could rise further in the coming days.

Officials said an ongoing police crackdown on undocumented Afghan nationals, being carried out on the federal government’s instructions, had pushed many of those still in Pakistan to pack up and leave quickly. They added that the detention and deportation of some Afghans had also led other members of their families to return voluntarily because they feared they too could face forced removal.

Police in Landi Kotal said some Afghans who completed registration at the transit point were later found returning to Peshawar or other cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in private vehicles, after which they were arrested and deported. Police said a new mechanism had been introduced under which all registered and verified Afghan nationals are escorted to the border in officially hired passenger coaches to prevent them from blending back into the local population.

“Once these Afghan nationals enter the Hamza Baba transit point and are registered with the Nadra staff after due verification from other intelligence agencies, they are then huddled into official vehicles and taken to the border crossing from where they cannot return,” an official said.

Trade bodies protest prolonged border closure

Separately, traders, customs clearing agents and transporters on Thursday warned that they would block the Peshawar-Torkham Highway for an indefinite period if the government did not reopen the Torkham border for bilateral trade with Afghanistan without more delay.

Speaking at a press conference at the District Press Club in Landi Kotal, Torkham customs clearing agents’ association president Mujeebullah Shinwari, All-Torkham transporters union president Haji Azeemullah and traders’ representative Shah Jehan said the continued closure of the border had inflicted losses worth millions of rupees on their businesses. They also said daily exports valued at $2.5 million and imports worth Rs540 million were being lost.

The three representatives said the situation had moved beyond their control because of mounting financial losses and unemployment affecting thousands of local people. They said they had waited for the past nine months while giving priority to national interest, as well as regional peace and stability, but could no longer endure the continued suspension of trade.

They further said that, in addition to the loss of business, at least 50 customs clearing offices had been damaged during clashes between the border security forces of the two countries, and no official assistance or compensation had been provided. They called on the authorities to resolve the border and security issues with Afghanistan through dialogue and to restore trade activity at the crossing immediately.