By Mitra Majeedy in TOLOnews Online, April 06, 2023 at 8:35 PM
The Afghan consul in Karachi, Abdul Jabar Takhari, said that more than 2,000 Afghan inmates, including children and women, were released from prisons in Pakistan over the past six months.
Over 280 children were among the released Afghan inmates.
Takhari said that more than 200 Afghans were freed from Pakistan’s prisons on Friday.
“Around 2,200 people, including 221 women and 285 children, have returned to the country via Chaman,” he said.
This comes as Afghan refugees in Pakistan complained of mistreatment by the government.
“The Afghans who are in the prison in Pakistan, their numbers are on the rise and this (issue) should be addressed,” said Nazar Khogianai, a refugee.
“The Pakistan police come and collect the Afghans without considering if they committed any crime. Whenever they like, they just come and harass the Afghans,” said Marriam Hashimi, a refugee.
This comes as human rights defenders called on the interim government to address the problems of refugees in Pakistan.
“Following the political changes, many people go to neighboring countries. Such migration is due to social, political, economic, cultural and security issues,” said Asifa Stanikzai, a refugee rights activist.
By some estimates Pakistan and Iran host nearly eight million refugees.
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-182855
