As deadline to remove illegal immigrants from Pakistan looms, the government has begun “forcibly” deporting Afghan people from their settlements, some of whom have lived in the country for the last 40 years.
In Afghanistan, a large number of people are waiting at the border with their small children for secure passage into their home country.
Local media reported on Tuesday that nearly 100,000 Afghan immigrants have gone back to their country from Torkham border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Chaman crossing Balochistan provinces this month, Al Jazeera was quoted as saying.
Massive protests took place in Pakistan earlier over the government’s decision to purge illegal immigrants from the country by October 31. The government said 600,000 to 800,000 Afghans migrated to Pakistan after Taliban regained power in 2021.
The Pakistani military and local police are using loudspeakers at the mosques to warn around 1.4 million Afghan refugees to leave the country within 24 hours. Most Afghan immigrants are also facing arrests, top sources told News18.
In a recent video that surfaced on social media, nearly 500 houses of Afghan refugees were destroyed and people can be seen screaming where should they go.
News18 had earlier broken the story of Pakistan government’s notification on deportation of Afghan people from Pakistan.
Afghan Govt to Take Care of Refugees
Afghanistan’s supreme leadership has criticised Pakistan for its “decision against humanity”.
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate has established a high commission led by Maulavi Abdul Salam Hanafi, the deputy prime minister for administrative affairs, and consists of 31 high ranking officials, aimed at resolving the problems of forcibly deported Afghan refugees from Pakistan and other countries.
In order to provide basic services to the returnees, a procedure has been approved in 8 chapters and 31 articles, and a secretariat and 12 committees have been formed to implement this procedure, Taliban sources said.
These committees are assigned to provide migrants with temporary accommodation, identification, transfer, basic and health services.
“We assure those Afghans who have gone to foreign countries due to some concerns that they can return and live a dignified life in their country,” Afghan government spokesperson Zabiullah Mujjahid said.
The relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have gone downhill since the former’s claim of rising suicide bombings in the country due to a large number of Afghan population and incidents of crime at the border.
Recently, the Afghanistan cricket team also dedicated their victory over Pakistan in the world cup to Afghan refugees.
Pakistan Violating Human Rights: UN
The United Nations had warned Pakistan that a large-scale expulsion of over a million “undocumented” Afghans could trigger “human rights catastrophe”. The UN agencies urged the Pakistan government to suspend the plan.
“We are very worried that those who are deported face a whole host of human rights violations including torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, severe discrimination, and lack of access to basic economic and social needs,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN high commissioner for human rights.
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