Pakistan says it will expel hundreds of thousands more Afghans in a continued clampdown on migrants

abcnews.go.com:

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry says authorities will expel hundreds of thousands more Afghans who have been living in Pakistan for years, the latest in a monthslong government clampdown on undocumented migrants

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan will expel hundreds of thousands more Afghans who have been living in the country for years, the foreign ministry said Thursday, the latest in a monthslong government clampdown on undocumented migrants.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters this would be the “second phase” of the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan” and it would involve persons who had been given identification documents known as “Afghan citizen cards” to legalize their stay in Pakistan for a limited time.

An announcement about the action would be made “at an appropriate time,” she said at a weekly news briefing in the capital, Islamabad.

Pakistan's crackdown on undocumented migrants has drawn sweeping criticism from the United Nations, aid agencies and human rights groups.

Since the deportations started, an estimated 600,000 Afghans have gone back to Afghanistan. After forcing thousands back daily, the deportations slowed down and appeared to halt in recent months.

On Wednesday, following a visit by the U.N. refugee agency chief, Filippo Grandi, Islamabad announced it has extended the stay of 1.45 million Afghan refugees residing in the country.

During his visit, Grandi welcomed what he described as the Pakistan government ’s suspension of the deportations.

However, Baloch denied that was the case and said there has been no suspension in the anti-migrant crackdown that targets those without valid papers. The deportations only involve those in Pakistan illegally — and they are being carried out