Islamabad [Pakistan], April 2 : Pakistan has delayed its deadline to deport hundreds of thousands of Afghans due to the Eidul Fitr holidays, The Express Tribune reported, citing a government official.
The Pakistani government initially set a deadline of March 31 for Afghans with specific documentation to leave the country. However, an official has said that the deadline has now been extended until the beginning of next week due to the holiday period.
Afghans who have Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) - issued by Pakistani authorities and reportedly held by 800,000 people, according to the United Nations will be deported after the new deadline expires.
In addition, over 1.3 million Afghans carrying Proof of Registration (PoR) cards issued by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) will be moved outside Islamabad and Rawalpindi, The Express Tribune reported.
The UN estimates that nearly three million Afghans currently live in Pakistan, with many seeking refuge over decades of conflict in Afghanistan. The number witnessed a rise after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
Human rights groups have condemned the deportation campaign of Pakistan. Pakistani human rights lawyer Moniza Kakar warned that many Afghan refugees have lived in Pakistan for years and face an uncertain future if they are told to return to their homeland.
Kakar said, "Many have been living in the country for years, and going back means going back to nothing."
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have increased after Islamabad accused Kabul of harbouring terrorists after the Taliban takeover. However, the Taliban has denied the claims made by Pakistan, The Express Tribune reported.
Earlier in March, the Pakistani delegation and Taliban-appointed officials held a meeting in Kabul, stressing the importance of security cooperation in the region.
Taliban has repeatedly demanded the "dignified" return of Afghan refugees. The top Taliban leader, Hassan Akhund, called on host nations not to forcibly deport Afghans and urged them to support their voluntary return.
In an Eid message delivered before Pakistan's original deadline of Afghans deportation, he said, "We ask that instead of forced deportation, Afghans should be supported and provided with facilities."
More than 800,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan between September 2023 and the end of March 2024 after a deadline was issued by Pakistan in 2023 for undocumented Afghans to leave the country, according to UN figures.
Earlier in March, human rights watchdog Amnesty International called on Pakistan to revoke its controversial "Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan", which primarily targets Afghan refugees, following the low rates of deportations and returns of Afghans in March, largely due to border closures, as reported by Dawn.
In a statement, Amnesty International criticised Pakistan's March 31 deadline for Afghan refugees to leave, stating that forcibly expelling Afghan nationalsmany of whom are asylum seekerswould only worsen their suffering.
"The Pakistani government's unyielding and cruel deadline, which is less than a week away, to remove Afghan refugees and asylum seekers from two major cities, resulting in the deportation of many at risk, shows little respect for international human rights law, particularly the principle of non-refoulement," Dawn quoted the organisation as saying.
As per the Dawn report, Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty's Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, condemned the move, stating, "The Government of Pakistan is only making a scapegoat of a community that has long been disenfranchised and fleeing persecution."
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