Pakistan has resumed the forced deportation of 1.4 million Afghan refugees whose legal status expired in June, sparking criticism from the UN refugee agency. Authorities are detaining Afghans lacking valid documentation for repatriation, despite growing humanitarian concerns
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Pakistani authorities stated Monday that they had resumed the forcible deportations of Afghan refugees following the federal government’s refusal to extend a crucial deadline for their stay.
About 1.4 million Afghans with Proof of Registration cards whose legal status expired at the end of June are impacted by the decision. Before going back to Afghanistan, many had hoped for a one-year extension to take care of personal matters like selling property or closing up businesses.
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Approximately 800,000 Afghans own Afghan Citizen Cards in addition to PoR cards. According to the police, they are also unlawfully residing in the nation and are being held in the southern Sindh province, southwestern Balochistan, and eastern Punjab before being deported.
The UN refugee agency, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, criticised Monday’s decision.
At least 1.2 million Afghans have been forced to return from Iran and Pakistan this year, according to a June UNHCR report. Repatriations on such a massive scale have the potential to destabilize the fragile situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban government came into power in 2021.
A July 31 government notification seen by The Associated Press confirms Pakistan’s decision to repatriate all Afghan nationals holding expired PoR cards. It states Afghans without valid passports and Pakistani visas are in the country illegally and must return to their homeland under Pakistani immigration laws.
Police across Pakistan are detaining Afghans to transport them to border crossings, according to two government and security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
They said there are no mass arrests and police were told to go to house-to-house and make random checks to detain foreigners living in the