Afghan refugees return to their home country as Pakistan's ultimatum reaches final day, Torkham - 31 Oct 2023

Afghan refugees with their belongings wait to cross the border into Afghanistan, on the eve of Pakistan's government's deadline to expel illegal immigrants, in Torkham, Pakistan, 31 October 2023. Pakistan is preparing to implement its plan to expel undocumented immigrants as the deadline for them to leave the country expires at midnight. The move particularly affects the millions of Afghan refugees who had fled their homeland, many of them driven by decades of armed conflict and the return to power of the Taliban. Since the Pakistan authorities announced the October 31 deadline earlier this month, a huge migratory flow has been recorded on the porous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. According to official data, there are about 4.4 million Afghan refugees in the country, of which 1.7 million are not registered.