Around 200,000 Afghans have been sent home via the Torkham border after the Pakistani government initiated a drive against undocumented foreigners.

The police in Peshawar and other districts have started checking documents of vendors and shopkeepers in some areas to find if they possessed the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards or any other document legalizing their stay in Pakistan. No mass arrests were reported from any locality, The News International reported.

“Over 189,000 returned to Afghanistan via Torkham and 2,975 via Angoor Adda till November 7,” an official told the newspaper.

The ones who have returned also included the PoR card holders and those coming on visas.

Meanwhile, in a major policy shift, Pakistan has decided not to advocate the Afghan Taliban’s case at the international level or extend any other assistance following failure of the Kabul authorities to neutralise the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), reported The Express Tribune.

Official sources told The Express Tribune on Wednesday that Pakistan’s goodwill gestures and assistance extended to the Afghan Taliban government after its return to power in August 2021 were taken for granted.

UN agencies last week called on Pakistan to continue protecting children and families seeking safety amidst rising concerns over the Government’s new ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan’.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR, migration agency IOM, together with children’s agency UNICEF, said they are “deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of children and families affected…and alarmed at the potential consequences of this plan’s implementation.”

Almost 30 million people require humanitarian assistance and 3.3 million are internally displaced inside Afghanistan amidst overlapping crisis.

Since 15 September an estimated 160,000 Afghans have left Pakistan, with 86 percent of families reported fear of arrest as the most common reason for leaving.