By Fatema Adeeb in TOLOnews Online, Nov 14, 2023 at 8:35 PM
International Crisis Group’s expert Ibraheem Bahiss, in a “Q and A” released by ICG stated that Pakistan’s policy to deport Afghan refugees “could bring further trouble to the region,” notwithstanding Islamabad’s efforts to justify itself on security grounds.
According to Bahiss, despite the immediate outcry from the UN and other international bodies, Islamabad seems intent on forcing all undocumented Afghans back to their home country.
“In Phase 1 of the plan, which took effect on 1 November, the state is targeting illegal Afghans, meaning those with no documentation, those with fake Pakistani papers and those who have overstayed their visas,” Bahiss said. “The government has not announced a clear timeline for the plan, but it has indicated that in Phase 2 it could go after Afghan Citizen Card holders. In Phase 3, it may send back even those holding Proof of Registration cards. The Proof of Registration cards for this cohort expired in June, and it is unclear if Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will be able to reach an agreement on renewing the cardholders’ status.”
“They have faced an uncertain future as the weather is getting worse and there is no infrastructure,” said Asifa Stanikzai, a refugees’ rights activist.
Bahiss wrote that the more specific reason for this dramatic step seems to be the latest escalation of Pakistan’s worsening dispute with Afghanistan over the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“The TTP has been increasingly aggressive in border areas over the past year, and Islamabad is seeking ways of pushing Kabul to curb its activity. In other words, the mass deportation is primarily driven by considerations – in particular Pakistan’s loss of patience with the Taliban – that have little to do with any purported danger posed by migrants and refugees themselves,” he said.
Najeeb Rahman, a political analyst said that Pakistan has always sought to put pressure on Afghanistan through refugees.
“(They) always misuse the political and social challenges of the people of Afghanistan and pressed for creating political and economic pressure for its interests,” he said.
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, denied the presence of TTP fighters in Afghanistan, and urged Pakistan to not use refugees as a tool of pressure against Afghanistan.
“Using the issue of refugees as a tool to create pressure is not a proper act. Any country that has such intentions, it doesn’t serve them. The refugees and common people wherever they live should have rights and not face oppression” he said.
Pakistan started the deportations of undocumented Afghan refugees on November 1 this year. Many Afghans who were interviewed by TOLOnews complained of mistreatment and harassment by the Pakistani military.
https://tolonews.com/index.ph%70/afghanistan-186033
