Thousands of undocumented Afghan migrants are fleeing Pakistan in fear of arrest and deportation by authorities. Pakistan has set 1 November as the deadline for 1.7 million Afghans to leave or face deportation in a measure authorities say is meant to protect the country’s ‘welfare and security’. Pakistan has recently experienced a rise sharp in attacks which the government has blamed on militants operating from neighbouring Afghanistan. But for many Afghans, Pakistan had become home for many years: “We had a good life over the last 45 years since arriving in Pakistan. I was born in Pakistan,” says Shafique Ullah.
