, 6 OCTOBER Pakistan government has started the process of eviction of illegal Afghan nationals from the country, as it starts implementing its recent announcement when it gave a deadline of November 1, 2023 for all illegal immigrants to leave the country or face arrest and deportation. Police authorities have started raiding various Afghan refugee camps and other areas housing Afghan nationals, taking into custody hundreds of families who did not have any legal documentation to prove status of stay in Pakistan. Authorities have also start[1]ed raising down makeshift Afghan refugee camps in Islamabad and other major cities, leaving no other options for Afghans to gather their belongings and move towards the Torkham border to cross over into Afghanistan. At least 16 trucks carrying a minimum of 20 families had reached the Torkham border on Thursday, while about 40 more families reached there on Friday. “After com[1]pletion of legal requirements, these families, which comprise about 1,000 people, will be allowed to enter Afghanistan,” said an official. “These residents are from an Afghan refugee camp near Margalla Town in Islamabad, which was demolished by the Capital Development Author[1]ity (CDA) on the instructions of the federal government”, the official added. Till now, at least 503 Afghan refugees have been sent to jail as they failed to provide any legal document as proof of their identity status in the country. “At least 1,126 people were checked in various operations. Of them, 623 people were released on presentation of legal identification documents. However, 503 of them were sent to jail for not having the nec[1]essary documents”, said a police official in Islamabad. “The 503 arrested people were presented before dif[1]ferent courts under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act. After October 31, a crackdown will begin against all illegal resi[1]dents,” he added. Pakistan’s big decision to crackdown against illegal immi[1]grants has not gone down well with the Afghan Taliban regime, which has termed the decision as “unacceptable”. Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid questioned the behav[1]iour of the Pakistan government, raising serious concerns over the expulsion plan of at least 1.7 million of unregistered Afghan immigrants, back to Afghanistan. “The behaviour of Pakistan against Afghan refugees is unac[1]ceptable. The Pakistani side should reconsider its plan. Afghan refugees are not involved in Pakistan’s security prob[1]lems. As long as they leave Pakistan voluntarily, that coun[1]try should tolerate them,” said Taliban spokesperson Zabiul[1]lah Mujahid. Sources said that while Afghan Taliban are not happy with Islamabad’s deci[1]sion, there is a mutual consensus between both sides that any Afghan with no legal docu[1]ments to reside in Pakistan should be sent back to his home country. Experts said that Afghan Taliban have been taken by surprise by the actions Pak[1]istan has taken after seeing no positive response from Kabul over the presence and move[1]ments across the border of mil[1]itants of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)