report in TOLOnews, Sept 27, 2023 at 8:45 PM
Following reports about the detention and mistreatment of Afghan immigrants in Pakistan by the Pakistani police, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that they have discussed the issue with Pakistani officials.
Mujahid said that Pakistani officials pledged that they would not harass Afghan immigrants.
“We have protested both through the embassy and the institutions and the delegation who came. They promised that this situation will change. We want the situation to change quickly, and for the harassing of Afghans to stop,” the spokesman said.
Abdul Jabar Takhari, the Islamic Emirate’s consul in Karachi, said that Afghan immigrants are still being detained in Pakistan and he says he has assisted in the release of over 200 of them from prison.
“Over 900 people were arrested during this time, and with the efforts of the consulate, more than 200 of them were released and returned to their homes, and the rest of them are in prison,” Takhari said.
The Afghan Refugee Council in Pakistan criticized the indifference of the international community towards Afghan migrants and said that the Pakistani police arrests those migrants who also have legal documents.
“Arrests have intensified and even those who have legal documents are also arrested. Later, they are released with the help of some people,” said Zaman Khan, head of the council in Karachi.
“Arresting and torturing Afghan immigrants in Pakistan due to lack of identity cards and residency documents is far from human dignity,” said Asefa Stanikzai, an expert on the immigrants’ issue.
According to the information provided by the consul of the Islamic Emirate in Karachi, in the past one month, more than one hundred thousand Afghan immigrants have been returned to the country through the Torkham and Spin Buldak crossings.
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-185275
