Afghans fleeing Pakistan lack water, food and shelter once they cross the border

Afghans fleeing Pakistan to avoid arrest and deportation are sleeping in the open, without proper shelter, food, drinking water, and toilets once they cross the border to their homeland.

More than two lakh people have crossed the border and arrived in Afghanistan from Pakistan since October. An ultimatum was given to 1.7 million Afghans who were said to be living illegally in Pakistan.

Pakistan had set an October 31 deadline for people living "illegally" in the country. It also warned them against arrest as part of a new anti-migrant crackdown. Pakistan says most Afghans have left voluntarily, but Kabul insists the majority were forcibly repatriated.

Afghans have been leaving Pakistan from, Torkham and Chaman, two main border crossings. The Taliban have set up camps on the other side for people who wait to return to their place of origin in Afghanistan.

Various agencies said Torkham has no proper shelter. There is limited access to drinking water, no heating source other than open fires, no lighting, and no toilets.

As problems of open defecation and poor hygiene loom large, UN agencies and aid groups are setting up facilities with thousands of people entering Afghanistan every day.

The Taliban claim to have mobilized committees operating "around the clock". Their primary objective is to assist the Afghan population with essential humanitarian aid, including food, clean water, and blankets.

Observers warn against a rise in the involvement of children in smuggling due to poverty as most returning families were among the poorest migrants in Pakistan. The photo shows an Afghan refugee girl near a camp in Torkham, Afghanistan.

Pope Francis in public remarks at the Vatican ​on Sunday decried the situation of Afghan refugees "who found refuge in Pakistan, but now don't know where to go anymore".

Afghanistan is overwhelmed by challenges, compounded by isolation of the Taliban-led government by the international community. Years of drought, a beleaguered economy, and the aftermath of decades of war have led to the internal displacement of millions of Afghans.