UNHCR says, Islamabad begins deporting registered Afghan refugees

(Forelines) – According to the United Nations, Pakistan has begun deporting officially r- ecognized Afghan refugees before the deadline for their departure, potentially leading to the expulsion of over a million Afghans, as per Reuters report.

Before Pakistan’s deadline of September 1 for the departure of officially registered Afghans, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees claimed it has heard of arrests and expulsions of such individuals nationwide, as per the report.

As per the UNHCR, cited by Reuters that Pakistan has broken its obligations under international law by bringing the Afghans back to Afghanistan in that way.

“UNHCR is calling on the government to stop the forcible return and adopt a humane approach to ensure voluntary, gradual, and dignified return of Afghans,” according to Reuters, citing UNHCR’s statement.

According to a directive from Pakistan’s interior ministry seen by Reuters, the documented refugees’ voluntary repatriation will start right now. It stated that following the deadline, the official deportation procedure would begin, Reuters added,

However, from August 1 to August 4, hundreds of officially registered Afghan refugees were already detained and sent back to Afghanistan, UNHCR spokesperson Qaisar Khan Afridi told Reuters on Wednesday.

According to Reuters, the interior ministry did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

750,000 Afghans have Afghan Citizen Cards, another form of registration, and around 1.3 million Afghans have Proof of Registration cards.

Since the 1980s, a large number of Afghans have relocated to Pakistan in order to avoid the ongoing war in their homeland.

“Such massive and hasty return could jeopardize the lives and freedom of Afghan refugees, while also risking instability not only in Afghanistan but across the region,” UNHRC stated, quoted by Reuters.

Islamabad wants all Afghans to depart, according to Pakistani officials, Reuters cited, with the exception of those with legitimate visas.

As per Reuters, Islamabad’s repatriation attempt will be part of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan, an initiative that begun in late 2023.

Pakistan has previously accused Afghan citizens, who make up the majority of the nation’s migrant population, of being responsible for militant assaults and crimes. Afghanistan has called the repatriations “forced deportations” and denied the charges.