The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) are appealing to Pakistan to continue its protection of all vulnerable Afghans who have sought safety in the country and could be at imminent risk if forced to return. Today’s appeal comes after Pakistan announced plans this week to forcefully repatriate Afghan nationals back to Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is going through a severe humanitarian crisis with several human rights challenges, particularly for women and girls.
The UN agencies said in a joined statement Saturday Pakistan’s plans would have serious implications for all who have been forced to leave the country and may face serious protection risks upon return. The forced repatriation of Afghan nationals had the potential to result in severe human rights violations, including the separation of families and deportation of minors.
Pakistan has ordered all undocumented immigrants to leave voluntarily by November 1 or face deportation. The new order primarily affects Afghans, many of whom fled their country after the Taliban took over in August 2021.
Pakistan said Friday that it would deport all undocumented immigrants, including some 1.7 million Afghans, in a "phased and orderly" manner, as it sought to allay fears of mass arrests and deportations.
On Tuesday, the government ordered all foreigners residing illegally in Pakistan to return to their respective countries or face deportation, a move Afghanistan's Taliban rulers swiftly decried as "inhumane." International human rights groups have also called on Pakistani authorities to review the decision.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch defended the policy Friday while responding to the criticism, saying that the decision to expel illegal migrants was in line with "our sovereign domestic laws," and that the government was determined to enforce them.
Baloch told reporters in Islamabad the crackdown was not directed against Afghans only, and underscored that the campaign would not target the 1.4 million legal Afghan refugees hosted by Pakistan for years.
Afghanistan's Taliban Wednesday urged Pakistan to review its plans to expel Afghan immigrants, rejecting charges the displaced community is involved in the security problems facing the neighboring country.
Human rights groups have expressed concerns over Pakistani plans to evict Afghan immigrants, saying those facing deportations include hundreds of thousands who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban reclaimed control of the country in August 2021, fearing persecution by the hardline de facto authorities.
Refugees International (RI), an independent humanitarian organization advocating for better support for displaced people, said Wednesday it was "deeply troubled" by the announcement from Islamabad.
"Pakistan has a long history of generously hosting their Afghan neighbors when they have been unsafe. Now is not the time to stop," said Devon Cone, senior advocate for women and girls at the non-governmental organization.
"We are especially concerned about Afghans who fled their country after August 2021 due to direct and targeted threats from the Taliban," Cone noted. "They are at heightened risk of violence and reprisals from the Taliban. Expelling them back to Afghanistan would most likely result in their deaths."
Additionally, the international rights group Amnesty International (AI) called on Pakistani authorities in a statement Wednesday to stop the crackdown on Afghans and to not deport them, asserting such a move could put them at grave risk.
"They are living incredibly precarious lives where they are either having to undergo arduous processes for registering as refugees in Pakistan or are stuck in lengthy processes waiting to obtain relocation to another country," said Nadia Rahman, Amnesty’s interim regional deputy director for research in South Asia.
Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees who fled the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the subsequent Afghan civil war. However, many returned to their native country after the United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001. A fresh wave of Afghan refugees hit Pakistan after the hard-line Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021.
Pakistani officials estimate they have since received about 700,000 Afghans fleeing the Islamist Taliban's return to power and deteriorating economic conditions in the country. Nearly 200,000 have been or are being relocated to the United States and Europe in recognition of their services to international forces during their two-decade presence in Afghanistan.
According to UNHCR estimates, more than 3.7 million Afghans currently live in Pakistan, but only 1.4 million of them are officially registered. Pakistani authorities estimate that about 1.7 million unregistered Afghans live in the country.
Afghanistan remains in the grips of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Millions in the country are experiencing misery and hunger amid decades of conflict. The cumulative effects of violent conflict, human rights violations, internal displacement, drought and other natural disasters have drastically increased humanitarian needs throughout the South Asian country.
More than 15 million people in Afghanistan face acute hunger, including nearly 3 million people in emergency levels of food insecurity. 4 million people are acutely malnourished, including 3.2 million children under the age of 5. 28.3 million people - two-thirds of the country’s population - require humanitarian assistance in 2023, an increase of 16 percent compared to the previous year. Among those in need are 15.3 million boys and girls.
The five neighboring countries Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan host some 8.2 million Afghans, including 2.1 million registered refugees and asylum-seekers. According to UNHCR, many Afghans have been in the region for decades, mostly in the Islamic Republics of Iran and Pakistan.
UNHCR and IOM on Saturday reiterated their call on all countries to suspend forcible returns of Afghan nationals and ensure any possible returns to the country take place in a safe, dignified and voluntary manner.
Some information for this report provided by VOA.
Further information
Full text: UNHCR and IOM urge Pakistan to maintain protection space for Afghans in need of safety, UNHCR and IOM, joint press release, published October 7, 2023
https://www.unhcr.org/asia/news/press-releases/unhcr-and-iom-urge-pakistan-maintain-protection-space-afghans-need-safety
Full text: Refugees International Urges the Government of Pakistan to Continue Hosting Afghans, Refugees International, statement, published October 4, 2023
https://www.refugeesinternational.org/statements-and-news/refugees-international-urges-the-government-of-pakistan-to-continue-hosting-afghans/
Full text: Pakistan: Government must not deport Afghan Refugees, Amnesty International, press release, published October 4, 2023
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/pakistan-government-must-not-deport-afghan-refugees/