ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has established a 24/7 federal control room to assist Afghan nationals and respond to complaints of harassment during their repatriation, according to a statement issued on Sunday, amid growing criticism of Islamabad’s ongoing deportation campaign.
The decision comes a day after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul and met senior Taliban officials to discuss bilateral cooperation, including issues linked to the mass return of Afghans from Pakistan.
“Pakistan has set up a 24/7 Federal Control Room at the National Crisis Information Management Cell (NCIMC) to assist Afghan nationals and address complaints of harassment during repatriation,” the office of Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Sadiq Khan, said in a statement.
It noted the helpline service was launched in line with Dar’s commitment during his visit to Kabul. Dar had promised that Pakistan’s interior ministry would issue a notification within 48 hours to streamline a complaints mechanism for Afghan returnees.
On Sunday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Dar spoke with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to thank him for the hospitality extended during the visit. Both leaders expressed satisfaction over the outcome of their talks and agreed to “expeditiously implement the decisions taken for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries,” the ministry said
Dar also invited Muttaqi to visit Pakistan, an invitation the Afghan official accepted.
The development comes as Islamabad presses ahead with a second phase of its repatriation plan, targeting more than 800,000 Afghans whose residence permits have been canceled.
Rights groups and Afghan officials have raised concerns about the treatment of deportees, many of whom have reported harassment, arbitrary arrests and family separations.
Pakistan says nearly 85,000 Afghans have returned so far in April, with a large number of them undocumented. The United Nations says more than half of them are children, with many families entering a country where women face restrictions on work and education under Taliban rule.
Islamabad has defended the deportation policy as a national security measure, pointing to rising militant violence and alleging that many Afghan nationals have remained involved attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban government in Kabul, however, denies the charge.
The first phase of the deportation campaign began in late 2023 wherein hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans were expelled from Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: A popular franchise of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Peshawar Zalmi, announced on Sunday a renewed media partnership with Arab News Pakistan, continuing a collaboration that began in 2020.
The PSL, launched in 2016, is Pakistan’s premier T20 cricket league featuring six city-based teams.
Peshawar Zalmi, representing the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, clinched the PSL title in 2017 and have consistently been strong contenders in subsequent seasons.​
“Proud to go global with @arabnewspk as our International Newspaper Partner for #HBLPSLX,” Zalmi announced on their social media account on X, exclaiming, “Where cricket meets the world.”​

Arab News Pakistan was launched in February 2018 and has since provided in-depth coverage of Pakistan, including sports.
Its parent organization, Arab News, was founded in 1975 and is part of the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG), one of the largest media conglomerates in the region.
Peshawar Zalmi had a challenging start to this year’s PSL but bounced back with a commanding 120-run victory over Multan Sultans on Saturday, marking their first win of the season. 
They are now set to face Karachi Kings in the next match on Monday at the National Stadium in Karachi.​