report in The ToloNews, Feb, 16, 2023 at 10:19 PM
At least 650 Afghan refugees are still in prisons in Pakistan, a senior diplomat of the Islamic Emirate said, calling on the Pakistan government to release them.
The General Consulate of Afghanistan in Karachi, Abdul Jabar Takhari, said 1,200 Afghan refugees have been recently released from prisons in Pakistan.
On Wednesday, at least 200 Afghan refugees were freed from prisons in Karachi.
“There are 650 people in the prisons currently. They include women and children and there are sick people among them as well. We hope the Pakistani government will release these people as soon as possible, so they can return to the country,” he said.
This comes as the Deputy Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Abdul Rahman Irshad said that nearly 2,000 Afghan refugees are being deported by Iran on a daily basis.
Rashid said that the Iranian officials have pledged to treat the Afghan refugees in a good manner.
“The number of refugees is high. Everyday around 2,000 of them are being deported. Among them, there are people with documents and also some people who volunteer,” he said.
Human rights defenders said that Pakistan and Iran should change their behavior toward the Afghan refugees and stop illegal arrests and deportations of Afghan refugees.
“Based on international conventions, it is the right of the refugee to be treated based on human manners and the cases should be investigated prior to deportation,” said Asifa Stanikzai, a human rights defender.
Pakistan and Iran host nearly eight million Afghan refugees.
There have been reports of mistreatment of Afghans in both countries.
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-182091
