Pakistan has
started to deport documented Afghan refugees ahead of its
deadline for them to leave, according to the United Nations, in
a move that could see more than 1 million Afghans expelled from
the country.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that
it had received reports of arrests and expulsions of legally
registered Afghans across the country before Pakistan’s
September 1 deadline for them to leave.
The UNHCR said that sending the Afghans back in this way was
a breach of Pakistan’s international obligations.
“UNHCR is calling on the government to stop the forcible
return and adopt a humane approach to ensure voluntary, gradual,
and dignified return of Afghans,” it said in a statement.
The voluntary return of the documented refugees shall
commence forthwith, said a Pakistan’s interior ministry order
seen by Reuters. It said the formal deportation process will
start after the deadline.
But Qaisar Khan Afridi, a spokesman for the UNHCR, told
Reuters on Wednesday that hundreds of legally registered Afghan
refugees had already been detained and deported to Afghanistan
from August 1 to August 4.
The interior ministry did not respond a Reuters request for
a comment.
More than 1.3 million Afghans hold documentation known as
Proof of Registration cards, while 750,000 more have another
form of registration known as an Afghan Citizen Card.
Many Afghans have been settled in Pakistan since the 1980s,
to escape cycles of war in Afghanistan.
“Such massive and hasty return could jeopardize the lives
and freedom of Afghan refugees, while also risking instability
not only in Afghanistan but across the region,” UNHRC said.
Pakistani authorities have said that Islamabad wants all
Afghan nationals to leave except for those who have valid visas.
The repatriation drive by Pakistan is part of a campaign
called the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan launched in late
2023.
Pakistan has in the past blamed militant attacks and crimes
on Afghan citizens, who form the largest migrant group in the
country. Afghanistan has rejected the accusations, and has
termed the repatriations as forced deportation.
In addition to the repatriation from Pakistan, Afghanistan
also faces a fresh wave of mass deportations from Iran.
Aid groups worry that the influx risks further destabilising<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan hasstarted to deport documented Afghan refugees ahead of itsdeadline for them to leave, according to the United Nations, ina move that could see more than 1 million Afghans expelled fromthe country.The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said thatit had received reports of arrests and expulsions of legallyregistered Afghans across the country before Pakistan’sSeptember […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n