Pakistan under fire for ‘shocking’ $830 exit fee for refugees who fled Taliban

Pakistani police check the documents of people in Karachi, Pakistan, on 17 November. The government deadline for undocumented immigrants and refugees to leave the country voluntarily expired on 1 November. Photograph: Shahzaib Akber/EPA

Pakistan’s decision to impose hundreds of dollars in exit fees for every Afghan refugee who fled the persecution by the Taliban has been condemned as “shocking and frustrating” by western diplomats and the UN.

The “unprecedented” move targets refugees who are waiting to leave Pakistan for western countries under resettlement schemes, and charges about $830 (£660) for each person.