Migration - Pakistan: Court starts hearing against mass deportation
In Pakistan, the Supreme Court has begun hearing several petitions against the mass deportation of Afghan refugees. This was announced by one of the petitioners on the platform X (formerly Twitter). The petitions had been submitted by activists, politicians and lawyers.
At the beginning of October, the government in Islamabad announced that it would deport refugees without residence status and set a deadline of November 1 for voluntary departure. According to government figures from October, there were around 4.4 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan at the time, around 1.7 million of whom were without valid papers.
According to the Human Rights Watch organization, more than 375,000 refugees have returned to Afghanistan since the announcement. The majority have left on their own under pressure from the threat of deportation, while around 20,000 have been deported.
Criticism of Pakistan
In recent weeks, activists and human rights organizations have repeatedly complained about the harsh treatment of refugees by Pakistani authorities. Authorities are said to confiscate refugees' property and demand bribes, while threats, arbitrary arrests and night-time raids are also said to occur repeatedly.
According to the information minister of the border province of Baluchistan, however, the authorities want to intensify the deportation campaign, which is taking place a few months before the parliamentary elections in February. As the minister announced at a press conference, one million unregistered refugees are expected to have left the country by January. To this end, 10,000 refugees are to be deported every day in Baluchistan alone, close to the border with Afghanistan.
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- The petitioners, comprising activists, politicians, and lawyers, have raised concerns about the mass deportation of refugees without residence status in Pakistan, stating this issue in their petitions posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
- During the court hearing, the Government of Pakistan was faced with questions regarding the decisions that led to the announcement of the mass deportation of refugees, specifically those without valid residence status, setting a deadline of November 1 for voluntary departure.
- Refugees from Afghanistan, who had been living in Pakistan, have begun returning to their home country in large numbers, exceeding 375,000, following the government's announcement of this deportation plan, with the majority choosing to leave voluntarily due to threats of deportation.
- Human Rights Watch has reported that Afghan refugees in Pakistan have faced harsh treatment from the authorities, including confiscation of property, demanding bribes, and numerous threats, arbitrary arrests, and night-time raids.
- In response to these concerns, the information minister of the border province of Baluchistan has declared that the authorities aim to intensify the deportation campaign, which is occurring a few months before the parliamentary elections in February, with a goal of having 1 million unregistered refugees leave the country by January.
- The minister also revealed that 10,000 refugees would be deported every day in Baluchistan alone, which is located near the border with Afghanistan, to fulfill this objective.
- Activists and human rights advocates across Pakistan and beyond have expressed their disapproval for this decision, issuing public curses and criticisms towards the government, urging authorities to reassess and reconsider the mass deportation plan, given the humanitarian concerns and potential consequences for the refugees and the country as a whole.
Source: www.stern.de
