KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The government of Pakistan has begun the second phase of deporting undocumented Afghan refugees, aiming to send 800,000 individuals back to their Taliban-controlled and impoverished home country.
According to Al Jazeera, the new phase commenced on Sunday, June 30. Refugees who do not leave voluntarily will face arrest and forced deportation.
Last October, Pakistan’s caretaker government initiated the first phase of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP), asking all undocumented immigrants, including over 1.7 million Afghans, to leave the country or face deportation.
Since then, the UN refugee agency reports that around 639,000 Afghan refugees, mostly women and children, have been deported to Afghanistan. Many had initially fled due to Taliban retaliation and economic hardships.
Pakistani authorities argue that undocumented refugees contribute significantly to insecurity and illegal activities in the country. They justify the crackdown as a counter-terrorism measure, citing a recent surge in security incidents.
However, Al Jazeera quoted a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) official urging the Pakistani government to review the profiles of refugees before expelling them, as many are “in need of international protection.”
“They’re refugees. They’re not involved in terrorist activities. They’re just people who fled and who need protection,” said the official, adding that if any Afghan nationals were involved in terrorist activities, “it should be dealt with separately.”
International rights groups, including Amnesty International, have previously expressed concern over Pakistan’s ongoing deportation of Afghan refugees back to Taliban control, where they initially fled due to fear of retaliation.
Amnesty International has called on the Pakistani government to stop ignoring global pleas and halt the “unlawful” deportation of Afghan refugees, which violates refugee laws and endangers thousands of lives.
“Pakistan’s ‘Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan’ is in violation of refugee and international human rights law, particularly the principle of non-refoulement, and puts the lives of all Afghan refugees at risk, particularly women, girls, journalists, human rights defenders, women protestors, artists, and former Afghan government and security officials,” the rights group said.
