A chartered flight left Pakistan on Thursday (October 26) with at least 100 people on board. Reports differed about the exact number of passengers, with official sources telling the BBC that there were 132 people on board, while the German news agency dpa said there were 200.

The flight was the first as part of an operation to fly out around 2,000 Afghans to the UK over the next two months. The government has chartered a total of 12 flights to carry out the evacuations.

Most of those being evacuated are the families of people who worked with the international forces in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021. They are being evacuated to the UK under either the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme or the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

After the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, those who had worked with international forces were told to go to Pakistan. Many expected that they would be there for a few weeks before being brought out to the UK. But some have now been waiting for over a year, during which time their Pakistan visas have expired, making them "illegal immigrants."

Also read: UK's policy of 'warm welcome' to Afghan families challenged in court

Crackdown on migrants

Authorities in Pakistan announced earlier this year that they would start to deport hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants from November 1. Officials said on Thursday (October 26) that anyone found staying in the country without authorization from next Wednesday will be arrested and detained.

British authorities have warned that among those "at risk of deportation" are people awaiting UK visas, the BBC reports.

Deportation centers are being set up around the country to hold the unregistered migrants – including an estimated 1.7 million Afghans, according to Pakistani officials. "It's a huge and challenging task, but we are up to it," said Pakistan’s interior minister, Sarfraz Bugti on Thursday.

While warning that the deadline would not be extended, Bugti added that migrants who fail to leave and are arrested for deportation will receive food and medical care and will not be mistreated. "They will not be manhandled," he said.

Pakistan hosts millions of Afghan nationals, including 1.4 million who are registered as refugees and are entitled to stay. Tens of thousands of Afghans have joined protests against the government crackdown on those without authorization, and last week a group of former US diplomats and representatives of resettlement organizations called on Pakistan not to deport Afghans who are still waiting for US visas. The United Nations also said that the crackdown could lead to human rights violations, including the separation of families.

Pakistan has denied that it is targeting Afghans in the crackdown and says that its focus is on people who are in Pakistan illegally, regardless of their nationality.

With dpa, AP