UN opposes Pak plan to evict 'illegal immigrants'

Kabul embassy calls crackdown on Afghans ‘harassment’

KARACHI:

The UN on Tuesday opposed a deadline set to evict over one million “illegal immigrants” from the country, saying “the return must be voluntary and without any pressure”.

“Any refugee return must be voluntary and without any pressure to ensure protection for those seeking safety,” Qaisar Khan Afridi, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told Anadolu.

Pakistan on Tuesday gave a one-month deadline to all "illegal immigrants" to leave the country by Nov 1.

"We have seen disconcerting press reports about a plan to deport undocumented Afghans and we are seeking clarity from our government partners," Afridi added.

He urged Islamabad which "has been generously hosting refugees for more than 40 years" to put in place a mechanism to ensure that Afghans with international protection were not deported.

"We must also keep in mind that those who are fleeing persecution often do not have the necessary documents and travel permissions," he maintained.

He said the UNHCR stood ready to support Pakistan in developing a mechanism to manage and register people in need of international protection on its territory and respond to "particular vulnerabilities".

"Pakistan has remained a generous refugee host for decades. This role has been acknowledged globally but more needs to be done to match its generosity," he went on to say.

Meanwhile, Kabul's embassy in Islamabad called the crackdown “harassment”.

In a statement posted on social media website X on Tuesday, Afghanistan's embassy said more than 1,000 Afghans had been detained in the past two weeks – half of them despite having a legal right to be in Pakistan.

"Despite the repeated promises of the Pakistan authorities, the arrest and harassment of Afghan refugees by the police in Pakistan continues," it said.

According to the latest UN figures, some 1.3 million Afghans enjoyed the status of registered refugees, while another 880,000 had legal status to stay in Pakistan.

At least 700 Afghans had been arrested since early September in Karachi alone, and hundreds more in other cities, police figures said.