Why are so many Afghans being kicked out of Pakistan? | Start Here

More than 370,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan after the government there announced a crackdown on undocumented refugees. What’s going on? And what do deteriorating relations between Pakistan’s government and the Taliban government in Afghanistan have to do with it? #AJStartHere with Sandra Gathmann explains. Chapters 00:52 - Why are there many Afghan refugees in Pakistan? 01:15 - The difference between documented and undocumented refugees. 01:38 - What’s behind the Pakistani government’s policy? 02:37 - Why are Pakistani officials linking Afghan refugees to security? 02:59 - Who are the Pakistani Taliban? (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, TTP) 04:44 - Why the TTP issue is straining relations between Pakistan’s government and the Taliban government in Afghanistan. 05:42 - How is the TTP issue linked to Pakistan’s refugee crackdown? 06:03 - Who is among Pakistan’s undocumented refugees? 07:34 - How the deportation policy caused shock and panic among Afghans in Pakistan. 08:17 - How Afghans have been threatened and harassed by Pakistani officials. 09:43 - What happens once the refugees cross into Afghanistan? This episode features: Babar Baloch - Regional spokesperson, UNHCR Abid Hussain - Pakistan correspondent, Al Jazeera digital Madiha Afzal - Fellow, Foreign Policy, Brookings Abdul Khaliq Sediqi - Communication Coordinator, Intl Rescue Committee Check out our other Start Here episodes Subscribe to our channel Follow us on Twitter Find us on Facebook Check our website: And let us know in the comments if there’s a topic you find confusing and would like Start Here to cover ⤵️