Chaos continues on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan as the deadline given by Islamabad for irregular migrants to leave the country expires this Wednesday, November 1. Although the Pakistani Government extended that ultimatum for one day due to the border collapse due to the mass exodus of Afghans, the authorities announced the arrest and expulsion of undocumented people in several raids this Wednesday.
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On October 3, the Pakistani government warned all irregular migrants that they must leave the country before November 1, when arrests and deportations were scheduled to begin.
The announcement led to the forced return of thousands of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, which, Fearful of the announced arrests, the border and the main crossings between the two countries have collapsed.
According to the UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration, the massive return is mainly due to fear of being detained.
For this reason, thousands of people who want to avoid expulsion moved to Torkham, the main border crossing between the two countries, which has caused the area to collapse.
Chaos at the border
UN data indicates that By October 15, more than 59,780 people had returned to Afghanistan after the ultimatum. And the Government of Pakistan estimates that On Tuesday, October 31 alone, some 29,000 immigrants crossed the border through the different crossing points.
Although the chaos in the border area led Pakistan to extend the deadline for one more day, the authorities reported the beginning of raids for the detention and expulsion of undocumented migrants, while the Minister of the Interior, Sarfraz Bugti, warned that “they will not make concessions ” to those who stay after the deadline.
In that sense, the state-run ‘Radio Pakistan’ reported that this Wednesday, November 1, 49 detention centers will open, with capacity for thousands of people and where the Afghans will remain before being expelled.
Millions of Afghans in Pakistan
Pakistan is, along with Iran, one of the countries that hosts the largest number of Afghan refugees, the majority residing in the border province of Khyber Pakhtunjuá.
Millions of Afghans came to Pakistan during nearly four decades of war, among them nearly 600,000 who fled when the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
Currently, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)There are more than 3.7 million Afghans in Pakistan who left their country for political and economic reasons. Of these, only 1.4 million are officially registered in the registry.
Meanwhile, Pakistani authorities estimate that there are more than 1.7 million Afghans living irregularly in its territory.
The UN estimated on August 26 in more than 400,000 Afghan refugees who have returned to their country so far in 2023, mostly from Pakistan and Iran. “To add a total of 2.3 million returnees since the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) began working in Afghanistan in March 2002,” he noted.
Pakistan’s reasons
The Executive of Pakistan affirms that the measure of detention and expulsion of undocumented migrants is due to security problems on the border with Afghanistan.
The Minister of the Interior, Sarfraz Bugti, has indicated that suicide attacks committed by Afghans have been reported in that area of northern Pakistan since January.
Today, we said goodbye to 64 Afghan nationals as they began their journey back home. This action is a testament to Pakistan’s determination to repatriate any individuals residing in the country without proper documentation. pic.twitter.com/2PB9BjFKTA
— Senator Sarfraz Bugti (@PakSarfrazbugti) November 1, 2023
According to the AFP agency, for years, the military and intelligence apparatus has been accused of supporting the Taliban insurrection in Afghanistan, but relations were strained because Islamabad accuses Kabul of allowing the Pakistani Taliban of Tehreek e Talk Pakistan (TTP). ) prepare attacks against Pakistan from Afghan territory.
Rejection of the deportation of Afghans
Human Rights organizations, such as Amnesty International (AI), denounce Pakistan’s measure and demand that it revoke it due to the risk it poses to thousands of Afghans.
“Amnesty International strongly reiterates its call on the government of Pakistan to immediately reverse its decision to forcibly deport unregistered Afghan refugees by the deadline set for tomorrow. “Pakistan must comply with its international legal obligations, including the principle of non-refoulement, and end the repression and harassment against Afghan refugees throughout the country,” says a AI statement this Tuesday, October 31.
“More than 1.4 million refugees are at risk of being uprooted from the place where they took refuge and called home,” adds the NGO.
According to AI, in addition to this, it is impossible for many refugees to return to Afghanistan and those who arrive suffer very difficult conditions. Therefore, the Taliban Government has even requested an extension of the deadline.
Most of us have not received tents, food or water, and we are left on the streets or public areas without any shelter,” Haji Afzal Khan, a 70-year-old man who was stranded once he set foot on Afghan soil, told EFE.
Another of the great difficulties is the displacement of women, who are prohibited from taking long trips without the company of a male relative, so many will have to remain in Pakistan.
“These people, who cannot return to their country or stay permanently in Pakistan, are trapped in a no-win situation. The ambiguity of their legal situation and the difficulty of the processes of obtaining asylum or relocation to a third country make them even more vulnerable,” he explained on June 23. Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for South Asia.
With information from AFP, EFE and local media
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