Red Cross official seeks staggered return of Afghans from Pakistan

FILE - Afghan refugee children warm themselves near the Torkham Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing in Torkham, Afghanistan, Nov. 4, 2023, after their repatriation from Pakistan. More than 800,000 Afghans are expected to return to Afghanistan this year; about half are children. FILE - Alexander Matheou, regional director, Asia Pacific Region for the International Federation of the Red Cross, speaks to the Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec, 2, 2021.

Changes are being urged to plans for returning thousands of Afghan citizens from Pakistan to make the process more effective.