(New York) – Pakistani authorities have sharply escalated abusive raids, arbitrary detentions, and forced returns of Afghan refugees following renewed border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch said today. Police operations have left thousands of already vulnerable Afghan refugees, including children, facing serious barriers to health care, education, and other essential services. “Pakistani authorities are spreading fear among Afghan refugees instead of treating them as people in need of protection,” said Fereshta Abbasi , Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch.…