HRCP opposes govt's plan to deport 'illegal’ Afghans

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed strong concerns on Monday over the government's decision to evict "illegal foreign residents" within 30 days.

In a major policy shift last month, Islamabad decided to send back all the illegal Afghan refugees, which is seen in the context of ongoing tensions between the two countries.

Official sources said that as many as 400,000 Afghans entered Pakistan illegally since the return of the Afghan Taliban to Afghanistan in August 2021, adding that there have been another 700,000 Afghans identified who have been living in the country illegally.

In an informal conversation with journalists earlier in the day, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said that Afghan refugees who were not registered would be evacuated from the country.

In a statement posted on the microblogging site X, HRCP condemned the government's decision to expel an estimated one million foreign residents based on alleged links with terrorist and criminal groups.

Read More: Evicting illegal refugees

The commission challenged the government's justification for the mass eviction, describing it as "lacking compassion" and reflecting a "narrow view of national security."

It also noted that "the large majority of such people are vulnerable Afghan refugees and stateless persons for whom Pakistan has been [a] home for several generations".

The human rights watchdog argued that to hold Afghan refugees accountable for the wrongs of a select few was unacceptable.

Read More: Pakistan to evict 1.1m illegal Afghan refugees

"They [Afghan refugees] have a moral right to seek refuge in this country and to be treated with dignity and empathy," it said, emphasising that the said decision also "contravenes international human rights law and must be reversed immediately".

The HRCP also pledged to lobby strongly with the government for this decision to be reversed and for Pakistan to sign the 1951 Refugee Convention.

It is pertinent to mention that the evacuation of Afghan citizens living illegally in Pakistan kicked off on last week as 16 trucks carrying 20 families reached the Torkham border.

After the completion of legal requirements, these 20 families, which comprise 350 people, will be allowed to enter Afghanistan.

Last week, the evacuation of Afghan citizens living illegally in Pakistan commenced, with 16 trucks transporting 20 families arriving at the Torkham border. Once legal requirements are met, these 20 families, comprising 350 people, will be allowed to enter Afghanistan.

Islamabad has hosted millions of refugees for decades and at one point five million Afghan refugees were residing in Pakistan. Some estimates suggested that there were still close to four million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan. However, the count of individuals possessing valid refugee cards, as per official records, is considerably lower.

The crackdown against the illegal Afghan refugees came against the backdrop of simmering tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan on the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Some observers believe that Pakistan’s stepped-up campaign against illegal Afghan refugees may be linked to the Afghan Taliban’s reluctance to launch a crackdown against the TTP.

Pakistan is frustrated that despite repeated demands the Afghan Taliban are reluctant to take action against the TTP. Last month, a Pakistani delegation led by special envoy on Afghanistan Ambassador Asif Durrani visited Kabul to press upon the Taliban government to take action against the TTP.

It was said that the Afghan Taliban promised to take some tangible steps to neutralise the TTP threat. Officials in Pakistan, however, are sceptical as the Afghan Taliban previously also made similar commitments.