More international support is desperately needed for mine action in Afghanistan, which is one of one of the countries on earth that is most impacted by the explosive remnants of war, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, said on Friday.

Marking the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, UNAMA said on X that over decades of conflict, tens of thousands of ordinary Afghans have lost their lives or limbs because of landmines and unexploded ordnance, adding that most of the victims today are children.

“Mine clearance work is painstaking, dangerous, and costly. Education to prevent accidents, and rehabilitation for those left with disabilities is also essential,” UNAMA said.

UNAMA called for more international support to Afghanistan, saying it “saves lives, and serves as an investment in a safer, more stable, and prosperous future for Afghanistan.”

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has proposed that Afghan refugees be granted permanent residence in Pakistan.

This comes as the Pakistani government is deporting Afghan refugees citing security concerns.

There are currently 2.1 million registered Afghan migrants in Pakistan, more than half of them in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that attacks in the country are planned on Afghan soil and that Afghan citizens have been involved in a number of attacks. The Islamic Emirate, however, has denied the claim, saying Afghanistan is not responsible for Pakistan’s “security failure”.

While the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has called for permanent residence for Afghan refugees, its governor, Faisal Karim Kundi, has criticized the statement as “absurd.”

Kundi said the current security crisis in Pakistan is deeply linked to Afghanistan and 70 percent of recent attacks in Pakistan have been planned on Afghan soil.

He also claimed that weapons left over from foreign forces in Afghanistan are now being used against Pakistan, a claim the Islamic Emirate has previously denied.

After the expiry of a deadline for voluntary return to Afghanistan, authorities in Pakistan on Thursday arrested 60 illegal Afghan migrants from different areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad during a search operation, local media reported.

The Express Tribune reported that 22 migrants were arrested in Islamabad and 38 in Rawalpindi.

All of them were later transferred to a camp in the Haji Camp area.

After their biometric and registration at the camp, these people will be shifted to the Landi Kotal area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from where they will be deported to Afghanistan through Torkham border crossing.

Pakistan had set a March 31 deadline for all illegal residents, including Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holder, to voluntarily return to their home countries.

Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) — issued by Pakistan authorities and held by 800,000 people, according to the United Nations — face deportation to Afghanistan after the deadline.

More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, are also to be moved outside the capital Islamabad and neighbouring city Rawalpindi.