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From Our Own Correspondent: Afghan migrants in limbo in Pakistan

19/10/2023

Afghan migrants in limbo in Pakistan

BBC Radio 4 - From Our Own Correspondent, Afghan migrants in limbo in Pakistan

Afghans who risked their lives to work with British forces face deportation from Pakistan.

Nearly 2,000 Afghans who risked their lives to work with British Armed Forces during the war in Afghanistan are now facing deportation from neighbouring Pakistan.

Kate Adie presents stories from Pakistan, Germany, Portugal, Senegal and the United States. 

Pakistan's government has issued an order for illegal migrants to leave the country by the beginning of November - which includes around 1.7m Afghans, according to official figures. Among the many caught in the middle are nearly 2,000 Afghans who risked their lives working with or for British Armed Forces during the war in Afghanistan. They’ve been promised visas by the British government that would allow them to resettle in the UK, but many now fear they will be forced to return to Afghanistan, to an uncertain future. Caroline Davies has been speaking to them.  

Recent state elections in Germany showed a clear rise in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD. The results have sent shock-waves across Germany, as Damien McGuinness found out. 

An ancient farming village in the Portuguese mountains is fighting plans for an open-cast lithium mine on its doorstep. The lithium would be used for electric car batteries, as part of Europe’s green energy transition. But local villagers say the mine will damage their environment, and their way of life. As Europe tries to reduce its dependence on China for lithium imports, the outcome of this dispute is being watched closely, as Caroline Bayley reports.

In Senegal, many parents send their sons to study and live in Islamic schools called daaras, often because they cannot afford to raise them themselves. While many daaras provide good education and care, some subject their pupils to abuse and neglect, or force them to beg in the streets. Sam Bradpiece travelled to the capital, Dakar to investigate the story.  

Although Hollywood’s writers have recently ended their five-month strike, the actors strike continues. Virtually all Hollywood film and TV production has stalled, and negotiations last week ended without agreement. David Willis has been covering the story.

Producer: Viv Jones
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

(Image: Afghan refugees getting ready to leave Karachi following the Pakistani government's decision to deport those illegally staying in the country. Karachi, Pakistan on 06 October 2023. Credit: Sabir Mazhar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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