Afghanistan calls on Iran to delay decision on refugees
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Afghanistan's Government has called on Iran to delay its decision to expel or punish more than a million Afghan refugees living there without proper documents.
Meanwhile, thousands of Pakistanis fleeing fighting between Pakistani troops and pro-Taliban militants have arrived in eastern Afghanistan, officials said.
Tehran has said it has warned 1.5 million Afghan refugees living in Iran without proper papers that they face arrest and detention in camps for up to five years.
Afghan foreign ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen said his Government was not "formally" told about the move but called on the Iranian authorities to delay their decision.
"We've not formally received what we see in media. But we believe what is being said in media is not inconsistent with what we've agreed over," he said, referring to dialogue between Kabul and Tehran over the issue in recent months.
"We hope that those decisions are not executed at least during the freezing months of the winter," he said.
Mr Baheen said a Government delegation would "very soon" travel to Tehran to discuss the topic and other related issues with Iranian officials.
Afghanistan has complained over the speed of the expulsions, saying the country does not have the capacity at the moment to absorb the returning refugees.
More than two million Afghans live in Iran while a similar number remain in eastern Pakistan after they fled war and unrest in their homeland over the past three decades.
Meanwhile, 500 to 600 Pakistani families, or about 2,500-3,000 people, have arrived in the eastern provinces of Khost and Paktia to escape fighting between the Pakistani military and rebels near the border, UN and Afghan officials said.
- AFP
