Amnesty International’s statement came a day before the deadline. Ahead of the final day of the ultimatum, videos of Afghan children bidding farewell to their classmates in schools in Pakistan went viral on social media.

https://x.com/khybereena/status/1718939170121355680?s=20

Human rights activists have denounced the government’s step, saying that Afghan refugees have lived in Pakistan for years and that many who were born in Pakistan have not known another home.

In its statement, Amnesty International said, “Amnesty International strongly reiterates its call to the Government of Pakistan to immediately reverse its decision to forcibly deport unregistered Afghan refugees ahead of the deadline set for tomorrow. Pakistan must meet its international legal obligations, including the principle of non-refoulement, and stop the crackdown against, and harassment of, Afghan refugees across the country.”

The statement added that Afghan refugees’ lives and rights are at stake due to the collective failure of the Pakistan government and the international community to share the responsibility for their protection.

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Former senator Afrasiab Khattak and researcher Sajjad Azhar were scheduled to discuss the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan at the event. The SHO instructed the organisers to cancel the discussion, citing the deputy commissioner’s orders.

Pervez Hoodbhoy rejects police’s version:

Academic Pervez Hoodbhoy, who is the founder of the Black Hole, told Dissent Today that the policemen locked up the center’s operations manager and confiscated his phone. “They returned the phone after the event was cancelled,” Hoodbhoy said. He confirmed the reports that the employee was manhandled by the police.

However, when some news reporters with equipment arrived, the police withdrew and departed from the scene. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) reportedly warned a high-ranking member of The Black Hole of “dire consequences” before leaving.

The SHO later told media that the police stopped the talk because the management did not have a no objection certificate (NOC). But Pervez Hoodbhoy says that never before had there been a demand to get an NOC for any kind of event at the center.

“Our aim was to simply discuss the forcible repatriation of Afghan refugees. It is the kind of issue which can be debated in any civilized society,” he told Dissent Today.

Earlier, Afrasiab Khattak tweeted about the police’s action, saying that the speakers and the hall were kept “under siege” by the police for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) condemned the incident in a statement, terming it “appalling.”

“This was in clear violation of the panelists’ right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Such tactics are also an alarming indicator of the government’s unwillingness to acknowledge that it is bound by customary international law to protect vulnerable refugees,” the HRCP said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

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