 "Afghan refugee children sit on a truck loaded with belongings as they along with their families prepare to return home, after Pakistan gives the last warning to undocumented immigrants to leave. File Image- Reuters")
UN experts on Friday urged Pakistan to stop plans for the forced deportation of Afghans and to immediately stop mass relocations, arrests, evictions and intimidation aimed at pressuring them to leave the country.
They specifically called on Pakistan not to expel Afghans from Islamabad and Rawalpindi or force them across the border into Afghanistan.
“We urge Pakistan to immediately stop mass internal relocations, deportations, arrests, evictions, intimidation, and other pressures on Afghans to cross the border into Afghanistan, and to uphold the absolute and non-derogable principle of non-refoulement,” the experts said.
They also raised concerns over the gendered and intersectional impact of the policy.
The UN experts have repeatedly criticised Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan of September 2023, which has already compelled hundreds of thousands of Afghans to leave the country.
A statement issued in Geneva said that the deadline for their voluntary departure was set for March 31, but some local reports said it may have been extended until April 10. However, there is no official word about it.
The experts called on the government of Pakistan to continue its role as a neighbouring country with a long history of hosting Afghans fleeing their country.
“Millions of Afghans in Pakistan are at risk of being pushed back to Afghanistan without regard for their genuine protection concerns – including gender-based violence and the systemic dismantling of the rights of women and girls – in violation of international human rights law and refugee law, and disregarding UNHCR’s non-return advisory,” the experts said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsPakistan had set March 31 as the deadline for about 1.3 million refugees having Afghan Citizen Cards and those residing illegally to leave voluntarily, threatening mass deportations after that.
The Afghan side has urged Pakistan to show leniency and relax the deadline but Islamabad has not announced any extended deadline.
With inputs from agencies