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Posts tagged as “deportation”

Long wait for freedom: Afghan refugees in limbo in Pakistan

AFP report, Dec 1, 2023ISLAMABAD: Abdullah was a well-known public figure in Afghanistan, a journalist and university lecturer respected by his readers and students. In Pakistan, however, he is laying low—worried about being caught in a deportation dragnet and after two years still waiting to be evacuated to the West. He fled Afghanistan when the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 on the advice of US officials and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), fearing retribution…

Activists: Pakistan should Stop Mistreating Afghan Refugees

By Mitra Majeedy in TOLOnews Online, Nov 19, 2023 at 8:49 PMSome civil society activists in Pakistan demanded a stop to the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from this country. These protesters said that law enforcement agencies in Pakistan are persecuting Afghan refugees. The Islamic Emirate assured it has made necessary preparations to welcome the refugees and said that more than 400,000 people have returned to the country so far. Some members of the civil…

SC to review deportation plea objections

report in The Express Tribune, Nov 19th, 2023.ISLAMABAD: The apex court has scheduled a hearing to address objections raised by its registrar office against a petition seeking a restraining order on the forced deportation of Afghan citizens. Justice Yahya Afridi is set to review the appeal in his chamber on November 20. In a press statement is- sued by the petitioner on Saturday, it was announced that after an “eager wait” of 18 days, the…

Taliban regime ‘enabler’ of terror: Kakar

by Syed Irfan Raza in Dawn, November 9th, 2023• Caretaker PM says Islamabad will not back down on deportation of illegal Afghans, tells Kabul to move against anti-Pakistan groups• Says 60pc rise in terror incidents in two years, TTP havens in neighbouring country to blame• Terms Afghan leaders’ remarks on deportation ‘irresponsible’, ‘threatening’ISLAMABAD: As mass expulsion of Afghan nationals purportedly living without proper documentation picks up steam, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq on Wednesday pinned…

US move to stop deportation of 25,000 Afghan workers:

By Iftikhar A. Khan in Dawn, November 6th, 2023ISLAMABAD: The United States embassy has issued letters to over 25,000 Afghan nationals under the process of relocation to and resettlement in America and shared their names with authorities in Pakistan, diplomatic and other sources told Dawn. However, these Afghan nationals face an uncertain future as Pakistan has raised objections over the list, according to a senior Interior Ministry official. At present, these Afghan nationals are living…

Deportation pushing Pak-Afghan ties to the edge

by Kamran Yousaf in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2023.ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s move to deport illegal migrants has put its relationship with Afghanistan at stake as the Taliban government is not happy with Islamabad and a number of their leaders, including interim prime minister, defence and interior ministers have publicly criticised Pakistan for evicting thousands of Afghans. Though Pakistan has repeatedly stated that its decision was only meant to send back those having no legal documents,…

Deportation of Afghan Immigrants is Against Intl Norms: Hanafi

Report in TOLOnews Online, Nov 01, 2023 at 8:16 PMThe second deputy of the Prime Minister, Mullah Abdul Salam Hanafi, who visited Torkham crossing to assess the situation of Afghan immigrants deporting from Pakistan, said that the deportation of Afghan immigrants from Pakistan is against all international norms and principles. Hanafi said that the current Afghan government is fully ready to address the challenges of the Afghan refugees coming from Pakistan. “Forced deportation of immigrants…

‘Nefarious plot’ to sabotage deportation of illegal Afghans exposed

by Khalid Mehmood in The Express Tribune, Nov 2, 2023ISLAMABAD: A sinister plot to disrupt the deportation of illegal Afghan nationals from Pakistan has come to light, endangering the efforts of the caretaker government to ensure a lawful and peaceful repatriation process. The caretaker government of Pakistan, in line with the rule of law, deployed law enforcement personnel to various holding camps across the country after the deadline for illegal Afghan residents to voluntarily leave…

Pakistan allays West’s concerns on deportation plan

by Kamran Yousaf . in The Express Tribune, Oct 23, 2023ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has allayed concerns of the Western nations over its plan to evict all foreigners living illegally in the country after some states feared that deportees might face reprisals from the Afghan Taliban government. Official sources told The Express Tribune that after Pakistan’s crackdown against illegal immigrants, Western countries approached the government seeking clarity with certain nations seeking review of the decision. Pakistan has…

More crossings opened to speed up deportation drive

by Saleem Shahid | Zulqernain Tahir | Umer Farooq in Dawn, Oct 28th, 2023QUETTA / LAHORE / PESHAWAR: As the government-ordained deadline for the deportation of illegal immigrants — mostly Afghans — draws near, authorities have intensified their efforts by setting up ‘holding centres’, and opening additional border crossing points to speed up the repatriation process. To expedite the repatriation of undocumented foreigners to Afgha­nistan and Iran, the Balochistan government is opening three more crossing…

200 Afghan Journalists Sign Letter to Pakistan’s Acting PM:

Report in TOLOnews Online, Oct 17, 2023 at 10:11 PMTwo hundred journalists, led by the Federation of Journalists in Exile, have written a letter to Pakistan’s acting prime minister calling for a ban on their deportation. Afghan journalists in Pakistan are in a dire situation and their families will also face danger if they are deported from Pakistan, the letter said. Earlier, the Islamic Emirate pledged they would talk with Pakistani officials and said that…