Rawalpindi, March 14 Pakistan has tightened security around an Afghan refugee detention centre in Rawalpindi even as the operation to detain Afghan refugees in the country continues. The Pakistani government has set a deadline of March 31 for Afghans with legal documents to voluntarily leave the country while the process of detaining Afghan refugees in Rawalpindi and Islamabad has been underway, local media reported.
The Afghans who are being detained in Rawalpindi are held at a camp near Golra Mor. The Rawalpindi Police have rounded up about 820 Afghan nationals from different parts of the garrison city over the past week and deported 114 so far. 140 Afghan nationals are still detained at the camp under tight security due to a lull in deportations. It has been learned that due to the closure of the border for the past few days, the process of deporting Afghans has also stopped, reported Pakistan's leading Newspaper Dawn on Friday, quoting sources.
The refugees have been asked to leave Pakistan before March 31, which has been set as the deadline to leave Pakistan voluntarily. In case if any illegal foreigner was found in the district, he/she would be rounded up and deported back to their home countries. "Yes, all Afghans who are legal will be relocated from Rawalpindi-Islamabad after the deadline," the newspaper quoted one official as saying.
Last week, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) for Refugees in Pakistan, an advocacy group based in Karachi and Islamabad working for the rights of Afghan Refugees, released a statement demanding an end to arrests, illegal detention, and harassment of Afghan refugees in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
JAC alleged that directions were made to police stations in Pakistan to arrest all refugees, despite the Pakistan Government’s deadline of March 31 and regardless of whether they possess a Proof of Registration (PoR), an Afghan Citizen Card (ACC), or a valid visa. JAC for Refugees condemned this action as a gross violation of fundamental rights.
Earlier this month, a coalition of human rights organisations and refugee advocacy groups wrote an open letter to the Pakistani government asking it to immediately halt the forced deportation of Afghan migrants.
"The situation of Afghan refugees in host countries, especially Pakistan, is extremely concerning. The current Afghan government, the United Nations, and international aid organisations must address the conditions of Afghan refugees in these countries," said Mohammad Khan Talebi Mohammadzai, a refugee rights activist.
Several incidents have been reported in Afghan media earlier that highlight plight of the Afghan migrants, including hundreds of women and children, as they are being arrested by police in various Pakistani cities and forcibly deported. Fleeing from war and conflict in their country, migrants from Afghanistan have been taking refuge in Pakistan for decades now. Afghan media has reported that refugees who are either expelled or forcibly deported have faced severe abuse and harassment, especially in Pakistan.
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