Pakistan reportedly plans to begin the second phase of its expulsion of Afghan migrants from April 10 after having driven 5,35,000 of them out of the nation since November last year….reports Asian Lite News
Taliban’s acting minister of Refugees and Repatriation Affairs has urged Pakistan to resolve the Afghan migrants’ issue within the framework of bilateral understanding, Khaama Press reported on Friday.
Pakistan reportedly plans to begin the second phase of its expulsion of Afghan migrants from April 10 after having driven 5,35,000 of them out of the nation since November last year.
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According to the newsletter of the Afghan-Taliban Ministry of Migrants, Abdul Rahman Rashid, a deputy of this ministry, raised this request on Thursday in a meeting with Junaid Waziri, the Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul.
Diplomats from Pakistan have been informed by Rashid that decisions pertaining to immigration are bilateral in nature and should be decided in accordance with the two nations’ mutual agreement.
At a recent iftar event held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul, which was attended by ambassadors and representatives of various nations, Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban, declared that over a million Afghan migrants had been forcibly and voluntarily removed from neighbouring countries.
Recently, Amnesty International has called for an ‘immediate cancellation’ of a plan to expel the Afghan migrants from Pakistan and stated that it violates international human rights laws.
The plan of expulsion of Afghan refugees, according to a statement made by one of the organization’s activists for refugees and migrants, breaches international human rights laws, international refugee laws, and all international conventions.
“The Pakistan authorities’ callous disregard for the persecution, serious human rights violations and humanitarian catastrophe that await Afghan refugees if deported to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is heart-breaking. Instead of heeding repeated global calls to halt deportations, the newly elected Pakistani government has disappointingly now extended the deportation drive to Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders as well,” said James Jennion, according to TOLOnews.
Afghan migrants in Pakistan are concerned about their unclear future as the second wave of expulsion of Afghan migrants is about to begin in the country.
They object to the Pakistani police detaining and abusing Afghan migrants.
The first phase of expelling undocumented Afghan migrants from Pakistan began in November 2023, whereas the second phase, under the name of the ‘repatriation plan’ which also includes those holding citizenship cards, is set to start on April 10.
Human rights organisations and Afghanistan both criticised the action, but the government stood its own and insisted that it was not directed at any one ethnic community. (ANI)
Amnesty slams Pakistan over deportation
Pakistan’s recent announcement of deporting all Afghan refugees back to their homeland of Afghanistan after the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr will affect the Afghan refugees living in Pakistan despite having the required Pakistani citizenship, a report by Amnesty International said on Thursday.
Reacting to the announcement of the newly elected government James Jennion, Campaigner for the Refugee and Migrants’ Rights at Amnesty International, said, “The Pakistan authorities’ callous disregard for the persecution, serious human rights violations and humanitarian catastrophe that await Afghan refugees if deported to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is heart-breaking. Instead of heeding repeated global calls to halt deportations, the newly-elected Pakistani government has disappointingly now extended the deportation drive to Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders as well,” the same report also said.
Jennion also mentioned that this decision will affect the lives of over 8,00,000 Afghan refugees across Pakistan and expose these Afghans to another wave of harassment and struggle.
“Pakistan’s ‘Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan’ is in violation of refugee and international human rights law, particularly the principle of non-refoulement, and puts the lives of all Afghan refugees at risk, particularly women, girls, journalists, human rights defenders, women protestors, artists, and former Afghan government and security officials. The Government’s decision also lacks transparency and arbitrarily cancels the validity of the ACC documentation that was issued by the Government of Pakistan itself,” he also said.
“We call on the Pakistani authorities to immediately reverse these decisions and urgently pass human rights-compliant law protecting the rights of refugees in the country and become a state party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees along with its Protocols.”, he added.
In October last year, the Pakistani administration had announced ‘Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan’ which stated that all Afghan refugees must leave Pakistan within 30 days, or will be forced to leave the country after the deadline.
The Amnesty International report mentioned that it has documented a complete lack of transparency, due process and accountability in the detentions and unlawful deportations of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, which was exacerbated by increased harassment and hostility towards them.
Further, referring to the second phase of Pakistan’s deportation plan the same report mentioned that in phase 2 of the ‘repatriation plan’, Pakistan-issued Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders will be expelled from the country after the Eid Al-Fitr festival, a major Muslim holiday expected to fall on April 10, 2024 in the region. Phase 3 is expected to result in the forced and unlawful deportation of UNHCR-issued Proof of Registration (PoR) card holders.
According to the Amnesty International report, Pakistan since September 2023 has deported 5,27,981 refugees to Afghanistan. The government states that there are over 8,00,000 ACC holders, while UNHCR estimates there are 1.3 million PoR holders in Pakistan.
Amnesty International has repeatedly urged the government to reverse its decision to deport Afghan refugees, most recently in its ten-point Human Rights Charter for the newly elected government in Pakistan, the report mentioned. (ANI)
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