Tehran, Iran, June 13
By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:
Iranian forces today arrested and handed to Pakistani authorities 170 illegal refugees from the neighboring country.
The refugees were workers who lacked passports. Some of them intended to travel through Iran to Turkey and from there to Europe, IRNA news agency reported June 13.
Iran is under a lot of pressure from its eastern borders as Afghan and Pakistani nationals frequently venture into its territory in hope of finding better lives.
Last month also Iran deported 181 Pakistani refugees who had been arrested for unauthorized residence in different places around the country.
But things are much more immense in the case of Afghanistan. Already 1.5 million Afghans are living in Iran illegally. The same number of Afghans are living in Iran with permission.
Over the past couple of years Iran has eased its conditions for Afghan refugees, registering many and providing them with various services such as education.