Islamabad, Feb 10 Pakistan has planned to deport nearly 20,000 Afghan refugees who have been waiting for resettlement in the United States, local media reported on Tuesday.
Pakistan's federal government will issue orders for senior provincial authorities and police in Islamabad, Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) to facilitate the deportation of Afghan refugees, Afghanistan's leading Khaama Press agency highlighted citing a report from Pakistan's 'The Nation' newspaper.
Majority of these refugees left Afghanistan after Taliban seized power in 2021 and they have been waiting for more than three years to relocate to other countries. In recent months, Pakistan has already deported some Afghan refugees who were included in the US resettlement lists, citing doubts regarding Washington’s commitment to the programme.
The US has halted Afghan refugee admissions after an Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, shot two US National Guard soldiers near the White House in December. After the shooting incident, US President Donald Trump suspended visa issuance for Afghan passport holders for an indefinite period and ordered a review of existing Afghan immigration cases, Khaama Press reported.
Last month, several Afghan refugees living in Pakistan urged the Pakistani government and Afghan authorities to resolve existing challenges through talks and provide them adequate time to return to Afghanistan gradually with dignity, the local media reported.
These refugees stated that rapid deportations and increasing pressure has caused serious challenges for Afghan residents. Haji Nazar, one of the Afghan refugees, requested the Pakistani government to give them three month's time so that refugees can return to Afghanistan in an orderly manner, Afghanistan's Tolo News reported.
"The Pakistani government should give us a three-month deadline so that refugees can return to their country in an orderly and phased manner. Right now, Afghans are facing many difficulties," Tolo News quoted Haji Nazar as saying.
Refugee rights activist Allah Mir Miakhail, stated, "Security agencies are arresting and deporting Afghan refugees everywhere. Most refugees need time to wind up their businesses and affairs. Many families are registered with the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, but these cards have now become invalid."
Refugee rights activists emphasised that the return process must be voluntary, gradual and receive support of international organisations to stop a new humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Another activist Ali Reza Karimi stated that many of the Afghan refugees have been deprived of basic human rights and are living in a state of uncertainty due to lack of legal and valid identity documents.
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