Frustration, chaos mount at border crossing as Afghans leave Pakistan

Short Url
Updated 01 November 2023
Follow

Frustration, chaos mount at border crossing as Afghans leave Pakistan

  • Thousands of Afghans rush to return to Afghanistan as Pakistan’s deadline for illegal immigrants to leave expires
  • Taliban authorities are struggling to register the returnees, with at least 29,000 crossing into Afghanistan on Tuesday

TORKHAM, Afghanistan: Diapers litter the ground at an Afghan border crossing where thousands of Afghan families have waited for days after being forced to leave Pakistan, with frustration mounting as resources dwindle.

Islamabad issued an ultimatum in early October to 1.7 million Afghans it says were living illegally in Pakistan: leave by November 1 or face arrest and expulsion.

The government said it was to protect Pakistan’s “welfare and security” after a sharp rise in attacks it blames on militants operating from Afghanistan.

The order spurred thousands of Afghans to hurriedly pack what they could and rush to the frontier, not willing to risk police action or deportation, even if it meant abandoning their whole lives or the possibility of giving birth along the way.

“We left in a panic,” said Shaista, who came from Peshawar city, close to the border.

“We packed our luggage in the middle of the night and left. It’s better to come by our own consent than face deportation with insulting treatment.”




Afghan refugees gather in front of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) vans for biometric verification before their departure to Afghanistan, at a holding centre near Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Chaman on November 1, 2023. (AFP)

But they have landed in a dire situation after two days waiting on the Pakistani side of the border and another three waiting to be registered in Afghanistan.

“We left our belongings behind. Now we have no shelter here,” she told AFP.

The Taliban authorities are struggling to register the sudden wave of returnees.

UN agencies have set up services for those arriving but have strained under the surge in demand.

Numbers are mounting daily — at least 29,000 people crossed into Afghanistan on Tuesday alone — sparking an “emergency situation” at the Torkham crossing between the Afghan and Pakistani capitals, a border official said.

The Taliban government has said mobile toilets, water tanks and other supplies had been deployed to the border but drinking water was scarce on Wednesday, recent returnees told AFP.




Afghan refugees climb a truck as they prepare to depart for Afghanistan, at a holding centre in Landi Kotal on November 1, 2023. (AFP)

“There is no water,” Shaista said. “We are begging people for water and can hardly get even one bottle.”

It’s not just water, said Mohammad Ayaz, 24, who crossed the border with 10 family members.

“The problems we are facing are related to women, children, food, water, shelter and medical services. We have no medicines here to treat our children,” he told AFP.

Along with that desperation, uncertainty about how long they will have to wait for registration and what comes next has increased the frustration. Many of them have nowhere to go, having lived years, if not their whole lives, in Pakistan.

“There are fights, people are losing patience. I am young, I will somehow bear this situation but how can a child bear all this?” said Ayaz.

He and others called for the government to speed up the registration process and provide support at Torkham and beyond.

“It’s been two days we are stuck here,” said Gulana, who is in her 60s.

“My son was detained by the police in Pakistan, and we escaped in a panic. Now we don’t know what to do here, nobody is guiding us or telling us what to do next.”




Afghan refugees arrive at a holding centre before their departure to Afghanistan near Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Chaman on November 1, 2023. (AFP)

 


‘Roses of Humanity’: Lahore gallery hosts art installation to honor children killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza

Updated 4 sec ago
Follow

‘Roses of Humanity’: Lahore gallery hosts art installation to honor children killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza

  • Israel’s 18-month war on Gaza has killed more than 52,000 people, many of them women and children
  • The installation features thousands of fabric roses, each representing a child whose life was cut short

ISLAMABAD: The Alhamra Arts Council in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore has opened an immersive art installation for visitors to honor the memory of children killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, highlighting the devastating human toll of the war.
Israel’s 18-month offensive against Hamas has killed more than 52,000 people, many of them women and children, and displaced more than 90 percent of Gaza’s population, Palestinian officials say. The Israeli military has also blockaded aid to the Gaza Strip since March.
In remembrance of the innocent lives lost in Gaza, the Lahore-based Labour & Love social enterprise, in collaboration with The Fundraisers BBS, has set up the installation at the Ustad Allah Bux Gallery, encouraging reflection on the situation in Gaza,
The installation features thousands of hand stitched fabric roses, each one representing a child whose life was cut short, transformed into a symbolic garden of remembrance, enveloped in evocative soundscapes, gentle fragrance and thoughtful lighting design.
“A total of 15,000 fabric roses represents the number of children reported killed in Gaza by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights as of June 2024 a number that, heartbreakingly, has since grown,” said Nuria Iqbal, who curated the installation.

This handout photo, released by Roses of Humanity on May 4, 2025, shows an art installation features thousands of fabric roses, to honor children killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, at the Al-Hamra Arts Council in Lahore on May 2, 2025. (Photo courtesy: Handout/Lotus)

“Together, these roses form a radiant tribute to humanity, reminding us that dignity flourishes when we are seen, heard and held in compassion.”
The installation will be on display at the gallery from May 18.
Iqbal shared that each of the roses was crafted from discarded fabric, once cast aside and now reborn in beauty, symbolizing the forgotten lives of the children of Gaza.

This handout photo, released by Roses of Humanity on May 4, 2025, shows an art installation features thousands of fabric roses, to honor children killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, at the Al-Hamra Arts Council in Lahore on May 2, 2025. (Photo courtesy: Handout/Lotus)

“The varied colors and textures of the fabric reflect the rich diversity of creation and the strength of unity amidst difference,” she added.
The development comes at a time when Hamas has dismissed as pointless ceasefire talks with Israel, accusing it of waging a “hunger war” on Gaza where famine looms, as the Israeli military prepares for a broader assault.

This handout photo, released by Roses of Humanity on May 4, 2025, shows an art installation features thousands of fabric roses, to honor children killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, at the Al-Hamra Arts Council in Lahore on May 2, 2025. (Photo courtesy: Handout/Lotus)

The comments from Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim on Tuesday followed Israel’s approval of a military plan involving the long-term “conquest of the Gaza Strip,” according to an Israeli official.
The former Gaza health minister said the world must pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to end the “crimes of hunger, thirst, and killings.”


UK may restrict students from countries, including Pakistan, with high asylum claims

Updated 47 min 36 sec ago
Follow

UK may restrict students from countries, including Pakistan, with high asylum claims

  • The move follows the ruling Labour Party’s poor performance in last week’s local elections
  • Of 108,000 asylum claims in Britain last year, 16,000 were from people with student visas

LONDON: The British government may restrict visa applications from students living in countries that are considered most likely to claim asylum in a move designed to bring down annual net migration, a government official said.
The move comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party was punished in local elections in England last week by voters angry over issues, including illegal immigration.
The government is expected next week to publish a policy document, known as a white paper, which will set out how the government plans to reduce net migration, which reached 728,000 people in the year to June last year.
“Our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system,” the Home Office said in a statement.
High levels of legal migration have long dominated Britain’s political conversation and were one of the major drivers for the Brexit referendum in 2016.
Out of the 108,000 people who claimed asylum in Britain last year, 16,000 had student visas, government data shows. The government does not provide a breakdown of the nationalities of those who had student visas, who went on to claim asylum.
But the government said people from Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka were the most likely to claim asylum in Britain after arriving on a work, student, or a visitor visa.
In the aftermath of the party’s poor local election results last week, some Labour members of parliament urged the government to do more to take a more decisive approach on issues such as bringing down net migration.
Jo White, who represents a group of lawmakers in previously Labour heartlands known as the “Red Wall,” said the government should stop “pussyfooting around.”


Pakistan inaugurates national intelligence, threat assessment center amid India tensions

Updated 06 May 2025
Follow

Pakistan inaugurates national intelligence, threat assessment center amid India tensions

  • Pakistan has already been battling twin insurgencies and ties between Islamabad and New Delhi have recently plummeted to new lows over an attack in Kashmir
  • The new platform will coordinate Pakistan’s counterterrorism strategy by leveraging the “full spectrum” of institutional capabilities, PM Sharif office says

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday inaugurated the National Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Center (NIFTAC) Headquarters, Sharif’s office said, amid heightened tensions with India.
Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors have plummeted after India accused Pakistan of backing an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists on April 22. Islamabad has rejected the charge and both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, taken diplomatic measures against each other, expelled citizens and ordered the border shut.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to pursue the attackers “to the ends of the earth” and there have been fears that India may carry out limited airstrikes or special forces raids near the border with Pakistan. The Pakistan military has conducted two missile tests since the standoff, with Islamabad saying it had “credible intelligence” that India was planning to attack Pakistan.
NIFTAC integrates over 50 federal and provincial departments and agencies into a unified intelligence and threat management architecture supported by a centralized national database. At the sub-national level, it is linked to six provincial intelligence and threat assessment hubs, including those in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, to ensure seamless coordination between the federation and provinces.
“This integrated framework is designed to harmonize intelligence gathering, analysis, and operational responses across multiple domains,” Sharif’s office said. “By leveraging the full spectrum of institutional capabilities, NIFTAC will enhance national preparedness, optimize resource utilization, and enable a coherent and timely counterterrorism response.”
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militancy in its northwest by religiously motivated militant groups like the Pakistani Taliban. The South Asian country has also been faced with a decades-long insurgency by Baloch separatists in its southwest, which has intensified in recent months.
On Tuesday, seven Pakistani army soldiers were killed when their vehicle was targeted by an improvised explosive device in the southwestern Balochistan province, Pakistan’s military said in a statement.
Sharif was accompanied by federal ministers and services chiefs at Tuesday’s inauguration of the NIFTAC headquarters, which will coordinate Pakistan’s national counterterrorism strategy. He commended all stakeholders involved in operationalizing this vital capability and described NIFTAC as a quintessential national platform for collaborative threat assessment and response.
“Dismantling the nexus between terrorism, illicit networks, and external sponsorship requires robust and efficient institutional mechanisms,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office.
“[NIFTAC] will play a pivotal role in uprooting terrorism and its support structures from the country.”


Bears dominate Pakistan stocks as risk-averse investors wary of India standoff fallout

Updated 55 min 57 sec ago
Follow

Bears dominate Pakistan stocks as risk-averse investors wary of India standoff fallout

  • Benchmark index surged to intraday high of 990 point but later succumbed to selling pressure, hitting an intraday low of 683 points
  • Moody’s on Monday warned that India-Pakistan standoff could set back Islamabad’s economic reforms as world powers called for calm

KARACHI: Pakistan’s stocks lost more than 500 points on Tuesday after early morning gains as risk-averse investors remained wary of the country’s ongoing tensions with nuclear-armed neighbor India, analysts said. 

The benchmark KSE-100 Index rose as much as one percent or 900 points after trading kicked off at the bourse in the morning, following a surprise move by the central bank on Monday to slash the key policy rate by 100 basis points 11 percent to spur growth amid challenges posed by US trade tariffs and geopolitical tensions with archrival India.

However, as the day progressed, profit-taking emerged across key sectors, gradually eroding the morning gains. The index ultimately succumbed to selling pressure, hitting an intraday low of 683 points and closing the session at 113,568 level, down by 533 points or 0.47 percent.

“Index remained bullish in intraday trade following the State Bank of Pakistan’s 100 basis points policy rate cut [on Monday],” Najeeb Ahmed Khan Warsi, head of online trading at Foundation Securities Ltd., told Arab News in Karachi, adding that the rate cut had lifted investor sentiment and triggered buying across key sectors such as oil, cement, and energy. 

Market participants were optimistic about lower financing costs and improved earnings potential under a more accommodative monetary policy stance, Warsi added.

At 11 percent, the interest rate is at its lowest since December 2021, creating further room for the economy to expand amid easing inflation.

Shankar Talreja, director of research at brokerage firm Topline Securities Ltd., said the market was positive in the morning primarily on the back of reports that banks would release payments to settle energy sector debt, also called circular debt.

Energy scrips like Pakistan State Oil, Oil & Gas Development Company Ltd. and Pakistan Petroleum Ltd. rallied more than two percent in daily trade “on the hope of payment disbursement from the banking sector to settle the Rs1.2 trillion circular debt,” said Muhammad Rizwan, director brokerage at Chase Securities Pakistan, in a note to clients.

Talreja said there was a solid ground for the central bank to cut borrowing costs. 

“However, the market was uncertain earlier on the timings just due to geopolitical tensions,” he said in a text message to Arab News.

But Tuesday’s early morning rally proved short-lived as investors started selling their shareholdings to book profits, dragging the benchmark index 0.5 percent to close at 113,568 points.

Cement stocks bore the brunt of profit-taking and dropped as much as three percent.

“Indo-Pak issues (are) clouding the gains actually,” Talreja said. 

“Despite an unexpected cut in the monetary policy statement, investors preferred to book gains in PSX as border tensions are still at a high level,” said Rizwan of Chase Securities.

Warsi said profit-taking, regional uncertainty with India and caution ahead of the new federal budget for FY26 were weighing on investor sentiment despite a supportive monetary stance.

Pakistan is expected to announce its budget for 2025-26 next month. 

On Monday, Moody’s said the standoff with India could hurt Pakistan’s $350 billion economy, which is on a path to recovery after securing a $7 billion bailout program from the International Monetary Fund last year and staving off a default threat.

“Sustained escalation in tensions with India would likely weigh on Pakistan’s growth and hamper the government’s ongoing fiscal consolidation, setting back Pakistan’s progress in achieving macroeconomic stability,” Moody’s said.

“A persistent increase in tensions could also impair Pakistan’s access to external financing and pressure its foreign-exchange reserves,” it added.

The report comes two days after Reuters reported that India has asked the IMF to review its loans to Pakistan.

India’s economy is not expected to see major disruptions since it has “minimal economic relations” with Pakistan — although higher defense spending could weigh on New Delhi’s fiscal strength and slow fiscal consolidation, Moody’s added.

Pakistan on Tuesday also accused India of altering the flow of the Chenab River, one of three rivers placed under Pakistan’s control according to the now suspended Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. 

The stoppage of water is likely to negatively impact Pakistan’s agriculture, which contributes more than 20 percent to gross domestic product.


Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to deepen anti-narcotics cooperation amid growing drug seizures

Updated 06 May 2025
Follow

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to deepen anti-narcotics cooperation amid growing drug seizures

  • Pakistan’s state minister for interior meets Saudi director general of narcotics control in the federal capital
  • He says Pakistan has a ‘zero-tolerance policy’ on narcotics while calling drug trafficking an international issue

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed to increase bilateral cooperation on anti-narcotics efforts, according to an official statement on Tuesday, as Islamabad described the drug trade as a global problem requiring collaboration among friendly nations.
The issue came up for discussion during a meeting in Islamabad between Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and Saudi Arabia’s Director General of Narcotics Control, Major General Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Qarni, who was accompanied by a high-level delegation.
Pakistan has faced a significantly intense drug problem, with Chaudhry saying the government seized narcotics worth $21 billion last year.
“Pakistan has a zero-tolerance policy on narcotics,” the interior ministry statement quoted him as saying during the meeting. “Drug trafficking is an international issue, and only through mutual cooperation between friendly countries can this menace be effectively addressed.”
The meeting was also attended by Saudi envoy to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki and senior Saudi military and narcotics officials.
The Pakistani minister pointed out that over 40 percent of the world’s drug production originates from neighboring Afghanistan.
He also praised his country’s Anti-Narcotics Force for effectively dealing with the challenge despite its limited resources.
Chaudhry linked recent crackdowns on undocumented migrants to broader concerns about drug trafficking and militancy.
Major General Al-Qarni described the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan as exemplary and called for joint work to address the “scourge” of narcotics, according to the statement.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Chaudhry presented honorary shields to the Saudi delegation and conveyed his best wishes.