Pakistan continues to forcibly deport thousands of Afghan refugees

Islamabad, April 7 (IANS) Thousands of Afghan refugees are being forcibly repatriated from Pakistan as the country intensified the deportation process with the end of the March 31 deadline.

Over 944 Afghan families, comprising 6,700 individuals, were deported from Pakistan since April 1, according to local media reports.

The most significant transfer took place in the Punjab province, where 5,111 other Afghan nationals were transported to the transit camps or holding centres across the province for repatriation, including 2,301 children and 1,120 women.

From Karachi, over 300 Afghans were deported from Pakistan to their home country.

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that those deported from Karachi included 79 children, 37 women, and 191 men.

In addition to the deportations, a police crackdown in Rawalpindi continued targeting Afghan nationals residing in the country.

The law enforcement agencies in Rawalpindi on Sunday rounded up 736 Afghan nationals, including 140 women and 164 children, and shifted them to the Afghan refugee camp near Golra Mor. Of the 736 people, 179 were deported to Afghanistan.

The security agencies had identified 100,000 Afghans living in over 150 'Afghan Colonies' across Punjab only, an official told the country's leading daily, Dawn.

Many Afghans at Pakistan's Hassan Abdal expressed dissatisfaction with the "sudden implementation" of the deportation orders. They said that they sold all their belongings at throwaway prices and packed up their businesses in haste, which left them with huge losses.

Meanwhile, forcibly deported individuals stated that they were arrested by Pakistani police while at work and deported to Afghanistan, leaving behind their businesses and family members.

"I ran a small hotel business at the fruit market. The police raided me, detained me in Haji Camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for four nights, and now deported me via Torkham." reports Afghan media outlet TOLO News quoting a deportee, Gul Mohammad.

Some other deportees say that although Pakistan demands visas, it does not provide a proper system for extending them. Instead, visas are sold at high prices on the black market, making them unaffordable.

"They arrested us while we were working. Whatever money we had, they took it. They brought us to the police station and treated us harshly. They don't see us as good neighbours," another deportee, Aqakhan, stated.

Pakistan's deportation policy has come under scrutiny, with several international organisations condemning the act. They have raised concern over the grave risks faced by the refugees upon their return amid uncertainties in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani government had dismissed concerns raised by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other agencies regarding the mass repatriation of Afghan refugees.

--IANS

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