Pakistan PM says expulsion of Afghans a response to Taliban non-cooperation

An Afghan national woman in a burqa walks past trucks loaded with belongings, as Afghan nationals in Pakistan head back to Afghanistan, at the Friendship Gate of Chaman Border Crossing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border in Balochistan Province, in Chaman, Pakistan November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Naseer Ahmed

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan said on Wednesday that its move to expel hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans was a response to the unwillingness of the Taliban-led administration to act against militants using Afghanistan to carry out attacks in Pakistan.

Last month, Pakistan set a Nov. 1 start date for the expulsion of all undocumented immigrants, including hundreds of thousands of Afghans. It cited security reasons, brushing off calls to reconsider from the United Nations, rights groups and Western embassies.