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The Afghanistan Embassy has expressed deep concern over the detention of about 800 Afghan citizens in Pakistan. He claimed that there have been worrying cases of arbitrary detention and deportation due to ambiguity regarding documents. According to the embassy, the 800 Afghan nationals who have been detained also include nationals holding valid visas, Proof of Registration Card (POR) and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC).
The Embassy of Afghanistan said it was particularly concerned about reports of unnecessary arrests, home searches and extortion of Afghan citizens. ‘We urge the Government of Pakistan to immediately address these serious concerns,’ it said in a post on social media platform X late on Monday (January 6, 2024)."text-align: justify;">There has been no official response from the Pakistan government on the embassy’s claim. Expressing deep concern over the detention of nearly 800 Afghan nationals in Islamabad, including those holding valid visas, proof of registration cards and Afghan Citizen Cards, the embassy post said, “due to lack of clarity on the conditions for obtaining NOC.” There have been worrying cases of arbitrary detention and deportation.
There are 137 of those deported who have already applied for renewal of their visas, and include those with temporary SHARP (Society for Human Rights and Prisoners Aid)/United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) registrations. SHARP, the Society for Human Rights and Prisoners Aid, works with UNHCR in Pakistan.
The embassy said, ‘Such detentions have separated many families, including women and children, many of whom are still stranded in Pakistan.’ Urging the Pakistan government to address Afghanistan’s concerns, the embassy said the relevant Pakistani authorities have been informed about the matter.
An appeal has also been made to UNHCR and other human rights organizations for immediate intervention. From the end of 2023, Pakistan began deporting Afghan refugees to their homeland, considering them an additional burden on its economy. In July 2024, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and discussed the situation of millions of Afghan refugees who were deported by Islamabad last year as undocumented foreigners’’ have been living in uncertainty since the announcement of the deportation plan.
On this, Sharif urged the international community to recognize the problem of the burden of Afghan refugees being borne by Pakistan and express collective responsibility to deal with this issue. Also, Pakistan has said that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), affiliated with the Afghan Taliban, has emerged as a significant threat to the country’s security institutions.
