• AFGHAN REFUGEE PROTEST MARCH PLANNED IN 4 PAKISTAN CITIES SUNDAY – A coordinated call for Afghan refugees in Pakistan to join the ‘Aurat March’ in four major cities on Sunday (29 October) to protest the deportation edict. The group intends to host marches at 1530hrs local time in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Multan. Refugees are being told to gather outside of the Press Clubs in each respective location. A source in Islamabad said that security forces had been informed about the planned protests and said that no permits had been issued to the organizers and that they may be treated as illegal gatherings. At least four major international news organizations TAD contacted said they had already arranged for coverage of the events. Some international NGOs said they intended to allow their volunteers to march with the Afghans but could not officially support the protests as it would damage their operations within the country.


• ISIS-K THREATENS ATTACKS IN CHINA – In a recently released video on ISIS-K’s website, the terror group threatened to “Flood (China’s) Streets with Blood”. While China has made it abundantly clear it has concerns about elements of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) gathering strength and recruiting in Afghanistan, ISIS-K has remained off the radar for the most part. It was not clear what prompted the recent threat against China and some observers feel the terror group is warning China against further cooperation with the Taliban. A source in Kabul said that Taliban security personnel had reported multiple incidents of surveillance by ISIS-K during the installation of security camera systems around the country.


• TALIBAN DEMAND SEAT AT THE UNITED NATIONS – The Islamic Emirate spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, implored the UN to hand over its seat to the Taliban on the UN’s International Day. Mujahid said that withholding the seat is an ‘injustice’ to the people of Afghanistan. It is not clear what will be done with the seat but few believe the Taliban will be allowed to take the seat with the current domestic policies in place and the fact that it is an imposed government and does not enjoy the full support of the citizens of Afghanistan.


• IRAN POSITIONING TO FOLLOW PAKISTAN’S LEAD AND MAY BEGIN DEPORTING AFGHAN REFUGEES – On Wednesday, the Iranian Interior Minister, Ahmad Vahidi, slammed the Taliban for failing to stem the flood of refugees headed to Iran. During a respite from a cabinet meeting, Vahidi spoke to several reporters and said that all undocumented Afghans needed to be expelled from Iran. He then went on to caution against vilifying Afghans currently in Iran. The Afghan refugee situation in Iran is confusing as throughout 2023, the hardline press has steadily called for greater government intervention to stop the influx of refugees. Then, at the end of September 2022, a bizarre amnesty plan was discussed in the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the parliament to grant Iranian citizenship to all legal Afghan immigrants currently in the country. Once the amnesty plan was made public in the summer of 2023, there was an immediate uptick in xenophobic press articles about Afghans. On Sunday, parliament ordered the Interior Ministry to set up a National Immigration Organization to begin tracking data for both legal and undocumented Afghans in Iran. The steps Iran is currently taking are eerily familiar to those enacted by Pakistan in recent months.


• ANOTHER 4.3 EARTHQUAKE REPORTED IN AFGHANISTAN – The latest quake’s location has yet to be ascertained but it occurred in the early morning hours on Thursday and struck at a depth of 150km. There have been no reports of damage or casualties as of publication.

Kandahar: An ALF strike team reportedly struck a Taliban security checkpoint in front of the provincial prison in Kandahar City (6th police district). ALF sources said they killed 1 Taliban and 2 others were injured in the fray.

• PAKISTAN TIGHTENING SECURITY AND SCREENING PROCESS AT BORDER ENTRY POINTS – Pakistan’s Federal Investigative Agency has set up a system to verify visas at Torkham Gate. The kiosk is meant to check visas of Afghans who attempt to cross into Pakistan. A source in Rawalpindi said the oversight was needed due to the problem of border security personnel taking bribes to let people in. A similar system is planned for Spin Boldak Gate in the South. The measures are being implemented as the Joint Implementation Committee (JIC) met to make final plans for the upcoming deportation operation. In a meeting yesterday, it was announced that undocumented Afghans found in Punjab would be taken to Rawalpindi for processing and would be deported from there. In addition, it has been decided that Afghan nationals who were currently being held in prisons for criminal acts would be sorted according to ‘minor’ and ‘major’ crimes. Those awaiting trial for minor crimes would be deported while those accused of major crimes would await trial. There are concerns that the holding center in Rawalpindi has a maximum capacity of 20,000 people and that overcrowding will cause significant problems.


• PAKISTAN DESIGNATES ‘DEPORTATION CENTERS’ TO HANDLE AFGHANS – Centers are expected to be established to process and hold deportees awaiting expulsion. Undocumented Afghans in Punjab and Sindh Provinces will be sent to centers in Rawalpindi and Karachi. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will host 2 centers (Nowshehra and Chamkani). Baluchistan will house 3 centers (Quetta, Pishin, and Qilla Abdullah). Sources in both Islamabad and Rawalpindi have expressed concerns that the designated ‘centers’ only exist on paper and very few preparations have been made at this point to contain the hundreds of thousands who are expected to be brought to the centers. The sources also say they expect to see severe problems with feeding the Afghans, drinking water, and medical treatment who will be interned in the centers.


• TALIBAN/PAKISTANI OFFICIALS MEET AT BORDER TO DISCUSS DEPORTATION OPERATION – The information Minister for Balochistan’s caretaker government announced that a meeting took place yesterday between Taliban and Pakistani border officials to discuss the upcoming deportation operation. Among the topics discussed were provisions for those Afghans who had been in Pakistan seeking medical treatment and treatment of women/widows who did not have male chaperones. According to an eyewitness present at the meeting, the discussion was a one-sided affair, and Taliban objections to specific points of concern about the operation were simply ignored.