Last month, Islamabad announced it would deport more than a million undocumented refugees, mostly Afghans, amid a dispute with Kabul over allegations that the country is harboring anti-Pakistan militants. More than 370,000 Afghans have also fled Pakistan since October 1.
Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Photo: Reuters
“UNHCR is calling on the Pakistani government to prevent mass deportations of Afghans during this harsh winter because the cold in Afghanistan is really dangerous and could take many lives,” said the agency’s regional spokesman, Babar Baloch. “We are talking about desperate women, children and men who are moving en masse out of Pakistan.”
The agency said the repatriation of Afghans should be voluntary and Pakistan should identify vulnerable individuals in need of international protection.
Pakistan is home to more than 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, including about 1.7 million who are undocumented. Many arrived in the country after the Taliban retook Afghanistan in 2021.
Pakistani police have been searching homes in refugee settlements for those who have not left voluntarily, starting in the port city of Karachi, home to hundreds of thousands of Afghans. Anyone who remains could be forcibly deported.
Islamabad has so far refused to accept calls from international organizations and refugee agencies to reconsider its deportation plans.
Quoc Thien (according to Reuters)
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