Kabul, Aug 13 Thousands of Afghans in Pakistan, including many who took refuge after Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, now face an uncertain future under the Sharif government’s renewed Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan, a report has said. A nationwide crackdown has been conducted on undocumented Afghan refugees after the policy was revived in late 2023.
In April alone, over 144,000 Afghans arrived back in Afghanistan — nearly 30,000 of them deported. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's order has extended enforcement to major urban centres, including Islamabad and Pakistan, where police raids have resulted in detention and transfer of Afghan families to deportation centers, leading Afghan news agency Khaama Press reported.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has termed these actions as a form of forced repatriation, a move inconsistent with international law. Vulnerable groups, including women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and those at risk due to their professions have been impacted by Pakistani authorities decision.
Afghan girls born and raised in Pakistan have been majorly impacted by Pakistani authorities decision as they are being now sent to a nation where Taliban has imposed ban on girls' education. Elsa Imdad Hussain of the Centre for Research and Security Studies had called for the implementation of a refugee law that is “human and gender-centric", a call which has received no response.
Afghan refugees are coming back to a nation facing economic collapse, climate disasters, and humanitarian emergencies. Taliban authorities have been offering limited support to Afghan refugees repatriated from Pakistan. Families who have returned from Pakistan have taken refuge in tent settlements, the report mentioned.
Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of using refugees as leverage, while Taliban's Acting Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund has called for an end to what he termed a "cruel attitude," Khaama Press reported. Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have continued despite Taliban's assurances that Afghan soil will not be used against Islamabad.
Reports have claimed that PoR cardholders, despite having official permission to stay until June, face arrests and detentions. Afghan-owned small businesses have also shut under the Pakistani authorities crackdown and reports indicate that some Pakistanis, including so-called "front men" working in property documentation, are exploiting departing Afghans, the report cited.
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