Afghan Refugees Archives - Dissent Today

Pakistan Govt’s Plan To Send Afghan Refugees Back To Afghanistan Raises Concerns From UNHCR

News Desk — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 01:39:18 +0000

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) voiced their concerns over the government of Pakistan’s new plan to relocate registered Afghan refugees from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The organizations are seeking further information on the “modality and timeframe” for this relocation.

Dawn quoted sources as saying that the government intends to gradually repatriate registered Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan. But this is being done without attracting media attention, which is why no public announcements have been made.

“Forced return to Afghanistan could place some people at increased risk. We urge Pakistan to continue to provide safety to Afghans at risk, irrespective of their documentation status,” a statement from the organizations said.

It added that despite the security challenges the government was facing, the situation should be seen through a humanitarian lens.

“The overwhelming majority of Afghan nationals in Pakistan are law-abiding individuals, whose situation needs to be seen through a humanitarian lens,” read the statement.

In the initial phase of the relocation effort, Afghan nationals holding the Afghan Citizens Card (ACC) will be “immediately” moved from Islamabad and Rawalpindi and sent back to their home country, along with undocumented refugees.

In November of last year, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated that Afghan nationals would no longer be permitted to remain in the capital without proper authorization. They were given until Dec. 31 to leave the country.

But the federal government later informed the Supreme Court that the validity of the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards for registered refugees had been extended until June 30.

Since the caretaker government mandated that undocumented migrants leave or face arrest, more than 400,000 undocumented Afghan nationals have returned to Afghanistan, where they remain at risk of persecution from the Taliban.

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Supreme Court Finally Hears Petition Against Pakistan’s Forced Deportation Of Refugees

News Desk — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 10:09:59 +0000

While hearing a petition against the caretaker government’s decision to deport Afghan nationals from the country, Supreme Court judge Justice Ayesha A. Malik noted that Pakistan is signatory to the United Nations conventions protecting the rights of refugees.

A three-member bench of the top court is hearing the petition against the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, jointly filed by politicians Farhatullah Babar, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, Mohsin Dawar and activists Amina Masood Janjua, Jibran Nasir and Imaan Mazari.

The SC bench includes Justice Malik, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Yahya Afridi.

The petition was first filed last month and had appealed to the Supreme Court to deem the mass deportation of Afghans as unlawful, unconstitutional, and a violation of fundamental rights. However, the registrar had` returned the petition, saying that it did not indicate the specific issues related to public importance that were linked to the enforcement of constitutional rights.

On November 20, Justice Afridi instructed that the case against the registrar’s rejection of the petition be scheduled for a formal hearing.

In November, a country-wide effort was launched by the government to expel undocumented foreign nationals, with a large number of those affected being Afghans. Despite facing opposition from Afghanistan and various other groups, the authorities remained firm in their decision, asserting that the action was not targeting any specific ethnic community.

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Amnesty International Asks Pakistan To Reverse Decision To Deport Afghan Refugees

News Desk — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 08:36:35 +0000

Amnesty International has called on the Pakistani government to reverse its decision to deport Afghan refugees from the country. The government had given all “illegal migrants” until November 1st to leave the country, in a move that appears to target Afghan refugees in particular.

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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