Afghan authorities set up registration center for returnees from Pakistan

The Afghan authorities set up a registration center a few kilometers away from the Torkham border crossing after thousands of people had flooded back into the country to avoid facing arrest and deportation from Pakistan.

A makeshift camp with some basic amenities is set up nearby for the families awaiting registration. More than 165,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan in the month since its government ordered 1.7 million people to leave or face arrest and deportation, officials said Thursday.

The majority rushed to the border in the past several days as the November 1 deadline approached and police began to open up dozens of holding centres to detain arrested Afghans.