Why are so many Afghans being kicked out of Pakistan? | Start Here

More than 370,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan after the government there announced a crackdown on undocumented refugees. What’s going on? And what do deteriorating relations between Pakistan’s government and the Taliban government in Afghanistan have to do with it? #AJStartHere with Sandra Gathmann explains.

Chapters
00:52 – Why are there many Afghan refugees in Pakistan?
01:15 – The difference between documented and undocumented refugees.
01:38 – What’s behind the Pakistani government’s policy?
02:37 – Why are Pakistani officials linking Afghan refugees to security?
02:59 – Who are the Pakistani Taliban? (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, TTP)
04:44 – Why the TTP issue is straining relations between Pakistan’s government and the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
05:42 – How is the TTP issue linked to Pakistan’s refugee crackdown?
06:03 – Who is among Pakistan’s undocumented refugees?
07:34 – How the deportation policy caused shock and panic among Afghans in Pakistan.
08:17 – How Afghans have been threatened and harassed by Pakistani officials.
09:43 – What happens once the refugees cross into Afghanistan?

This episode features:
Babar Baloch – Regional spokesperson, UNHCR
Abid Hussain – Pakistan correspondent, Al Jazeera digital
Madiha Afzal – Fellow, Foreign Policy, Brookings
Abdul Khaliq Sediqi – Communication Coordinator, Intl Rescue Committee

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