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Tag: Afghanistan

  • Angelina Jolie ‘saddened’ by forced deportation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan

    Angelina Jolie ‘saddened’ by forced deportation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan

    Angelina Jolie has always been one for speaking her mind. The Hollywood A-lister and UNHCR ambassador won hearts globally when she openly criticised the Israeli regime for air strikes on Gaza which has claimed countless innocent lives. Now, she has spoken out against the deportation of 1. (www.enov8.com) 4 million Afghan refugees from Pakistan.

    Reporters have said that they are banned from taking pictures of detention centres or to speak with any of the captives, and several families have reported that their children were being picked up despite having a birth certificate.

    Sharing clips of Afghan families and children stranded at the border, Angelina called this an example of “the backsliding in human rights globally,” on her Instagram.

    “Pakistan has been a supporter for many Afghan refugee families for decades. I am saddened they would so abruptly push back refugees who face the impossible realities of trying to survive in today’s Afghanistan, where women have again been deprived of all rights and the possibility of education, many are being imprisoned, and there is a deep humanitarian crisis.

    It is yet another example of the backsliding in human rights globally, and is a new tragedy in the long history of the suffering of Afghan people – who have experienced nothing but war and conflict and displacement for over forty years, and are being abandoned by the world after all the promises that were made of a better future for the Afghan people.”

  • ‘Be considerate’: Hasan Raheem outraged at racist comment about Afghan cricket team

    ‘Be considerate’: Hasan Raheem outraged at racist comment about Afghan cricket team

    Tuesday’s World Cup thriller between Afghanistan and Australia ended with the latter grabbing victory from the former after Glen Maxwell’s blistering knock of 201 runs.

    As X (formerly Twitter) became flooded with memes and tweets about Maxwell’s performance, one user went viral for celebrating the loss of the Afghan cricket team by comparing it to the ongoing illegal deportations of Afghan refugees. The user wrote:

    “Afghanistan to World Cup se bhi deport ho gaya.”

    The comment drew outrage from Twitter users, including singer Hasan Raheem who quoted the tweet and responded:

    Zunaira Imam, the wife of actor and director Usman Mukhtar expressed her disdain over the insensitive tweet by writing:

    “This is not funny. This is not a joke. People are suffering right now. Our policies are not only harming Afghans but also Pashtuns who are being wrongfully incarcerated or deported. People’s pain and hardship should not be the punchline for a joke.”

    Right now, more than 100,000 Afghan refugees are detained in holding centres despite most of them being registered in Pakistan. Aurat March has highlighted cases such as that of a 17-year-old boy who was picked up and deported without informing his family.

    READ MORE: ‘Afghan-looking’ Pakistanis taken to holding centres for deportation, says Aurat March

    In light of the trauma Afghan families face with the on-going deportations, X users were aghast at the insensitivity of the tweet. Especially when Pakistanis are championing the right for Palestinians to be given back their land.

  • ‘No one leaves their home by choice’: Mahira Khan appeals for Afghan refugees

    ‘No one leaves their home by choice’: Mahira Khan appeals for Afghan refugees

    Actress and UN ambassador Mahira Khan joins the rallying cry to protect Afghan refugees from deportations. Right now, Aurat March reports several Pakistani Pushtuns were picked up and taken to deportation centers because they ‘looked Afghan’.

    READ MORE: ‘Afghan-looking’ Pakistanis taken to holding centres for deportation, says Aurat March

    The ‘Humsafar’ actress shared pictures wearing her UNICEF vest and standing next to women. In the caption she wrote:

    “No one leaves their home behind by choice.
    Here in Pakistan, I’ve been proud of our tradition of hospitality towards those in search of safety, dignity and respect.
    For over 40 years we have provided safety to our Afghan brothers and sisters in need.

    There are people who are still in need of our kindness and compassion, who are at risk if they return.

    I appeal to my government to continue to support those who need it.”

    Several prominent celebrities have raised their voices as gruesome stories of the brutal treatment of Afghan refugees arrive from activists. Sanam Saeed appealed to the Pakistani government to show mercy to those seeking a better life. She wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

    “Deporting refugees who seek shelter here will not make our fundamental issues go away. It looks like we are deflecting blame from challenges that the govt or the country overall is facing. At a time like this in the world right now, we need to show more mercy.”

    READ MORE: ‘Show more mercy’: Sanam Saeed calls for Pakistani government to stop deporting Afghan refugees

  • ‘Afghan-looking’ Pakistanis taken to holding centres for deportation, says Aurat March

    ‘Afghan-looking’ Pakistanis taken to holding centres for deportation, says Aurat March

    In a series of video documents and reports released by the organization’s Lahore Chapter, a number of Pakistani Pashtuns are seen talking about how they are being taken in to deportation centres because they ‘look Afghan’. Their minor children, and in one case an Afghan’s wife and a two-month-old baby, been taken to holding centres in multiple raids conducted by the police.

    The victims, visibly distressed, are complaining about the lack of information and resources as they do not know where the detainees are being taken and why. Some of them are being told that they will be taken to the borders for deportation because they do not hold registration cards and are assumed illegal by the government, even though their guardians hold the required documents.

    There are incidents of minor legal document holders being deported too. One such example is 16-year-old Mansour, brother of Yaseen who holds a PoR card but he says the police have confiscated it from him putting him at further risk. The child is being sent on a bus to the border.

    Aurat March is claiming that there is a large number of poor Pakistani Pashtuns running from one police station to the other, trying to prove with their CNICs and birth certificates of their detained children, that they are legal citizens and not illegal immigrants.

    Unfortunately, as confirmed by Aurat March, a video of a man doing rounds on social media where he is being told by the authorities that his son, a 17-year-old has been sent to Afghanistan after being picked up in a raid in Karachi, is true.

    In another video, a man from Waziristan, a Pakistani citizen is showing his child’s birth certificate, which was missing a day ago and has received a call from his son who is now sent to Chaman for deportation. He goes on to prove his citizenship by showing his Watan card and the ID cards of his deceased father and brother too. He alleges that the money and the photocopy of the father’s ID card had been snatched away from the kid by the police.

    Activist Mehrub Awan posted on X a video of a police officer outside the Sultanabad detention centre stating that “The Pakistanis deported accidentally can’t be brought back”.

    Lawyer Moniza Kakar, while talking to The Current, explains that the number of 1.7 million as stated by the government is a vague one, and the number is not definite since registration of Afghans stopped when the Taliban took over. All those who entered Pakistan after that were given a token which has no legal status. Consequently, they also can’t have access to any legal shelter. Even then, petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court and Sindh High Court where Lawyers Umer Gilani and Sara Malkani will be representing.
    Many, including women and children, are being confused by authorities, allegedly for having an accent or looking similar to Afghans, said Kakar.

    The government, however, is silent, raising questions over the transparency of the system and the very rushed way in which the process is being conducted. We have reached out to the interior ministry for a comment but they have not responded.

  • Pakistan should not make more enemies, cautions Taliban Refugee Minister

    Pakistan should not make more enemies, cautions Taliban Refugee Minister

    The Taliban government’s refugees minister, Khalil Haqqani, has said in an interview with AFP that, “They [Pakis­tani authorities] should not give Afghans a hard time, they should not make more enemies.” The statement was said in the context of the mass exodus of refugees from Pakistan under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.

    Authorities on the Afghanistan side have established centres several kilometres from a border crossing along with camps for families in what was described as an “emergency situation” by the Afghan officials. “We are constantly in contact with them [Pakis­tani authorities] asking for more time. People must be allowed to return with dignity,” he reiterated.

    Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Salam Hanafi also visited the Torkham border and asserted that the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan is in violation of International laws. He also mentioned that the ones coming back are their brethren and this is their home. To address all their problems will be the first priority of the government.

  • Taliban Calls For More Time For Afghans To Leave Pakistan

    Afghanistan’s Taliban government has urged Pakistan to allow undocumented Afghans in the country more time to leave as pressure mounts at border posts swarmed by thousands of returnees fleeing the threat of deportation.

    Islamabad has given 1.7 million Afghans it says are living illegally in the country until November 1 to leave voluntarily or be forcibly removed.

    More than 130,000 people have left Pakistan since the order was given at the start of October, according to border officials in the towns of Torkham and Chaman, creating bottlenecks at either sides of crossings.

    In a statement late Tuesday, Taliban authorities thanked Pakistan and other countries that have hosted millions of Afghans who fled their country during decades of conflict, but “asked them to not forcibly deport Afghans with little notice but to give them time to prepare”.

    Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban government has urged Afghans to return home, but has also condemned Pakistan’s actions, saying nationals are being punished for tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, and calling for people to be given more time to depart.

    Read more: All you need to know about Afghans being sent from Pakistan

  • ‘Show more mercy’: Sanam Saeed calls for Pakistani government to stop deporting Afghan refugees

    ‘Show more mercy’: Sanam Saeed calls for Pakistani government to stop deporting Afghan refugees

    The Pakistani government is set to deport more than 90,000 Afghan refugees by November 1, prompting protests among civil rights activists. Actors, too, are condemning the expulsion. Viral videos show Afghan children in tears as they say goodbye to their friends, expressing sadness over being deported.

    Actress Sanam Saeed has appealed to the government of Pakistan asking that in light of circumstances around the world, Pakistanis must extend their kindness to people seeking shelter in this country.

    “Deporting refugees who seek shelter here will not make our fundamental issues go away. It looks like we are deflecting blame from challenges that the govt or the country overall is facing. At a time like this in the world right now, we need to show more mercy.”

    Veteran actress Nadia Jamil expressed her outrage over a post showing how Afghan children were taken to court and treated as criminals. She shared Osman Khalid Butt’s post and wrote “Statelessness. Their crime is their families Afghan refugee past. Most of them were born here.”

    Columnist Fatima Bhutto shared a video of an Afghan child tearfully saying goodbye to his classmates as he was set to be deported. In the caption she wrote:
    “This is just wrong of Pakistan. It’s inhumane. We must protect the Afghan refugees of this country and allow them a chance to rebuild their lives.”

  • Two dead after container carrying expelled Afghans overturns

    Two dead after container carrying expelled Afghans overturns

    A container carrying Afghan refugees enroute to Afghanistan overturned on G.T. Road near Hattian, resulting in two deaths and multiple injuries.

    The container was reportedly packed with several Afghans who were being repatriated, as November 1 is the last date for undocumented citizens to leave Pakistan.

    “At least two persons were killed and 14 others sustained severe injuries in the mishap,” rescue sources told ARY news on Sunday.

    The driver allegedly lost control of the container and overturned after colliding with a bridge.

    “The injured have been shifted to hospital for medical attendance,” rescue sources added.

    Previously, the caretaker government had announced that all illegal migrants must leave Pakistan before November 1 or face expulsion. So far, a few operations have been carried out against the undocumented individuals, especially Afghan refugees. Now that the deadline is near, the operations are expected to increase and intensify.

  • ‘We know where they are’ : Sarfraz Bugti finalizes plan for repatriation of illegal immigrants

    ‘We know where they are’ : Sarfraz Bugti finalizes plan for repatriation of illegal immigrants

    Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti has confirmed the completion of the plan to repatriate illegal immigrants in Pakistan.

    With the approaching November 1 deadline, the government is set to relocate these individuals to centers within their respective provinces.

    During a press conference, Minister Bugti assured that families of illegal foreigners, including women and children, would be treated with utmost respect.

    He said that “holding centres” had been formed in the provinces as well as Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan where illegal immigrants will be provided medical facilities and food.

    Bugti said after November 1, arrested persons will be kept in the centers. He also announced that returnees could carry a maximum of Rs50,000 with them.

    He emphasized that there would be no compromise on the issue of the return of foreigners and that those found with fake Computerized National Identity Cards (CNCs) would face consequences.

    Sarfraz Bugti said illegal properties of illegal foreigners including illegal Afghan refugees, will be confiscated, and announced action will also be taken against Pakistanis who provide facilities to the illegal aliens.

    He further said that the state had carried out geo-fencing to identify areas where illegal immigrants were residing. “We know where they are. They are in villages, in Pakistan’s metropolitan cities, in different small cities. The government has complete know-how about where they are.”

    “We are encouraging voluntary return so that they can be saved from being manhandled and arrested,” Bugti said. “I assure you that once our investigation is complete, anybody involved in this illegal work will be punished.”

    The first flight of illegal Afghan refugees to Britain for resettlement will begin today (Thursday).

    The first chartered flight carrying 230 Afghan refugees will depart from Islamabad to the UK.

    In this regard, arrangements have been completed at Islamabad International Airport.

  • First flight carrying asylum-seeking Afghans departs from Islamabad to UK today

    The first flight carrying asylum-seeking Afghans will depart from Islamabad International Airport for the United Kingdom on Thursday.

    200 Afghan refugees are reportedly going to fly out today.

    The Independent has reported that around 3,000 Afghans, many of whom worked for the British army, are to be given UK residency after the Afghan Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021.

    For the time being, the UK has accommodated them in Pakistan since 2022, whereas hundreds have been stuck and await their turn to get relocated.

    The Independent wrote that in “A U-turn of government policy, ministers have pledged that all Afghans eligible for the UK’s resettlement schemes will no longer have to wait for accommodation to be confirmed before coming to Britain”.

    This u-turn was taken after Pakistan gave an ultimatum to all undocumented foreign nationals to leave by November 1 after which they will be deported.

    A British High Commission delegation met senior officials from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) on Tuesday.

    According to the senior CAA official, around 2,000 Afghan refugees will be repatriated by mid-December through one or two weekly chartered flights from Islamabad to the UK.