The US State Deputy spokesperson Matthew Miller in response to a question about the situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, said that Washington urges “all states including Pakistan to uphold their respective obligations in the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers and to respect the principle of non-refoulement.

Pakistan earlier this month announced a deadline of November 1 for the ‘illegal Afghan refugees’ to leave the country, a decision which has sparked strong reactions at national and international levels.

“We strongly encourage Afghanistan’s neighbors including Pakistan to allow Afghans seeking international protection and to coordinate with international humanitarian organizations,” he said.

This comes as in a meeting with the head of the Pakistan mission in Kabul, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani, the Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, urged reconsideration of Pakistan’s decision to expel the “illegal Afghan” refugees and called for facilitating travel of passengers through Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings, according to a statement of Arg.

Nizamani emphasized the need to make efforts to solve the issues that create distance between the two countries, the statement reads.

Meanwhile, the Afghan refugees complained about the mistreatment of Pakistani police.

“The people and families here are being beaten and are taken out of their house and detained by [Pakistan government]. Some families are being detained for one and two months,” said Lima Ghafori, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan.

Earlier UN experts in a statement called on Pakistan to reconsider its decision about expelling over 1.3 million Afghan refugees.