Pakistan’s forced expulsion of Afghan refugees sparks global reactions

Kabul [Afghanistan], November 3 (ANI): Pakistan’s move to forcefully expel foreign migrants, including illegal Afghan refugees, has sparked international reactions in recent days, TOLO News reported.

US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller reacted to the forced deportation of Afghans and asked Pakistan to uphold its obligations in the treatment of refugees and respect the principle of non-refoulement.

“So we join all of our partners in urging every state, including Pakistan, to uphold their respective obligations in their treatment of refugees and asylum (seekers), and to respect the principle of non-refoulement. We strongly encourage Afghanistan’s neighbours, including Pakistan, to allow entry for Afghans seeking international protection and to coordinate with international humanitarian organizations to provide humanitarian assistance,” Miller said at a press conference.

Moreover, the United Nations also expressed concern, saying, that the organization is concerned about the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, according to TOLO News.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said, “We are very concerned about this forced movement of people, many of whom are very likely refugees to a country that by most accounts isn’t ready to welcome them back, in a sense; and given the state of not only the humanitarian situation, but of course, first and foremost, the human rights situation. But, I know this is an issue that our colleagues in UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations are engaging with the Pakistani authorities.”

Meanwhile, the consulate of the Islamic Emirate in Karachi highlighted that the Sindh government has called on the police to not harass those Afghans who have POR, ACC and Passport.

“The government of Sindh has issued a letter to the Sindh Ministry of Interior calling on police to not harass those Afghans who have POR, ACC and Passport,” said Abdul Jabar Takhari, consulate of Islamic Emirate in Karachi.

Moreover, the Afghan Refugee Council in Pakistan stressed that Afghan immigrants in Pakistan are living with fear and stress, reported TOLO News.

Mir Ahmad Rauf, head of the council said, “We cannot explain that situation we are in by words. It is a very chaotic situation. It is an extremely critical state, full of fear and house arrests, the majority of people are suffering from a mental illness.”

Adding to this, Asefa Stanikzai, an expert on Afghan issues said, “The mass deportations of immigrants from Pakistan are against international conventions.”

The arrest of illegal Afghan immigrants began in Pakistan and over 100 Afghan immigrants were arrested in the suburbs of Quetta alone, reported Dawn citing the Pakistan Interior Ministry.

However, as per the statistics, over 4000 Afghan immigrants have been deported from Pakistan from November 1 until now, and are living in a distressing situation, reported TOLO News.

Last month, the Pakistani government gave an ultimatum to all undocumented immigrants to leave Pakistan by October 31 or else risk imprisonment and deportation. It announced that action would be taken from November 1 against those illegal foreigners who had not left the country.

Moreover, the Interior Ministry said 140,322 people had already left voluntarily.

Out of the more than 4 million Afghans residing in Pakistan, the government estimates that 1.7 million lack proper documentation. Many of these individuals fled Afghanistan during the country’s decades-long internal conflict, starting in the late 1970s and continuing after the Taliban’s takeover following the US withdrawal in 2021.

The decision to expel the illegal foreigners was taken after a spate of terrorism this year, out of which 14 were suicide bombings. In several cases, Afghan nationals were found involved in those attacks.