ISLAMABAD (AP) — A quarter of a million Afghan children need education, food and homes after being forcibly returned from Pakistan, a nongovernmental organization said Thursday.
Pakistan is cracking down on foreigners it alleges are in the country illegally, including 1.7 million Afghans. It insists the campaign is not directed against Afghans specifically, but they make up most of the foreigners in the country.
More than 520,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since last October.
Save the Children said families are entering Afghanistan with “virtually nothing” and that nearly half of all returnees are children.
A survey of families by the NGO said nearly all of them lacked enough food for the next one to two months. Some returnees and host families had to borrow money for food or rely on friends and relatives for food.
Almost two thirds of children who have returned to Afghanistan have not been enrolled in school, according to Save the Children. The majority told the organization they don’t have the necessary documents to register and enroll in school. In Pakistan, more than two-thirds of these children had been attending school, it said.
Hanna and Haley Cavinder say they're returning for last season at Miami
Revealed: The pernickety passport rules Brits NEED to know before the Easter getaway
A nation of explorers? Poll reveals that nearly a quarter of Brits have never even visited SCOTLAND
HK$3.5 billion Hong Kong Palace Museum opens after typhoon delay
Zimbabwe frees prisoners, including those sentenced to death, in an independence day amnesty
'Sorry, you can't board, off you pop': Traveller reveals how he was caught out by a post
Now THAT'S a room with a view: Inside the St Regis Abu Dhabi
Barcelona fined by UEFA for fans making Nazi salutes, monkey gestures at Paris Saint
Travel insiders' expert tricks to get a FREE upgrade on your holiday
Man fleeing cops in western Michigan dies after unmarked cruiser hits him
Top scientist warns AI could surpass human intelligence by 2027