Kabul, March 18 (IANS) Afghanistan has urged Pakistan to stop expulsion of Afghan refugees as Islamabad is preparing to expel even the holders of Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) after the deadline ends on March 31.
At a meeting of the High Commission for Refugee Affairs, chaired by Afghan Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Abdul Salam Hanafi, officials emphasised the need for a coordinated and mutual strategy for the return of Afghan refugees, Afghan media outlet TOLOnews reported on Tuesday.
“Our request to neighbouring countries, especially Pakistan, is to reconsider this decision. A unilateral decision is not in their interest, nor in ours,” said Abdulmutalib Haqqani, Afghan spokesperson for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.
Several Afghan refugees holding ACC in Pakistan have complained about increasing challenges in the country. They stated that despite holding these cards they are faced with forcible deportation. “Refugees holding ACC cards are not illegal. They are Afghan refugees who have been living here for the past 25 years,” TOLOnews quoted Malik Awal Shinwari, one of the Afghan refugees in Pakistan, as saying.
The Pakistani government has made it clear that all Afghan refugees including the ones with legal documents have been asked to leave Pakistan before March 31, which has been set as the deadline to leave the country voluntarily. In case any illegal foreigner was found in the district, he/she would be rounded up and deported back to their home countries.
Earlier, the ruling party of Pakistan’s province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) slammed the centre’s policy to deport Afghan refugees back as “inhumane”. Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur of KP denounced the policy of Pakistan’s federal government on Afghan refugees as “inhumane and oppressive”, stating that his government would decide whether to follow the Centre’s directives to expel Afghans residing in the province after March 31.
KP hosts the largest Afghan refugee population in Pakistan, with Peshawar accommodating the highest number. According to the United Nations, more than 800,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan since Pakistan started its repatriation policy.
Many refugees have been living in the province for decades, running businesses or working in various sectors. Afghan refugees living in KP have also urged Pakistani authorities not to force them into leaving the country by March 31.
Several media reports revealed that Afghan refugees are facing continuous harassment and abuse in Pakistan. They have called on the Afghan Government and Human Rights organisations to take action on their behalf.
Many refugees stated that despite holding valid legal documents, they face the threat of illegal detention, deportation, and discrimination. “Pakistani police have been conducting brutal raids, even in the middle of the night, storming homes and arresting Afghan refugees,” said an Afghan journalist.
–IANS
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