As Exit Deadline Expires, Pakistan Commences Deportations Of Afghan Refugees: Five Key Highlights After Day One

Pakistan initiated the deportation of undocumented Afghan immigrants after the government's declared deadline for voluntary departure from the country expired on Wednesday, (1 November).

This decision to crack down on Afghan migrants coincides with an increase in suicide attacks in Pakistan, which the government attributes to groups operating from Afghanistan.

Since the announcement of the deadline last month, more than 140,000 refugees have voluntarily left Pakistan.

Here are the five highlights since the (1 November) deadline expired.

(1) More than 7,300 refugee deported on the first day

Pakistan deported more than 7,300 Afghan refugees, including over 100 prisoners, through the Torkham border crossing, on the first day.

It is expected that approximately 1.7 million Afghans, including women and children, will be forced to leave Pakistan, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in their home country.

(2) Holding camps for refugees awaiting border crossing

Pakistan has established holding camps near the border for undocumented migrants and refugees awaiting deportation to Afghanistan.

More than 70,000 fake identity cards in the possession of refugees have been blocked. Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) will collect data from these illegal refugees, including fingerprints and photographs, before their deportation to Afghanistan.

(3) Reaction of Taliban

Afghanistan expressed its anger over Pakistan's decision to deport undocumented refugees back to Afghanistan. Taliban's acting defence minister, Mawlavi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, described the decision as, "cruel and barbaric behavior against Afghan refugees."

He also urged wealthy Afghan refugees in Pakistan to transfer their wealth to Afghanistan and contribute to the country's development.

Taliban's interim ministry spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, on the other hand, stated on Wednesday that, "The behavior of Pakistan against Afghan refugees is unacceptable."

He added, "Pakistani side should reconsider its plan. Afghan refugees are not involved in Pakistan's security problems. As long as they leave Pakistan voluntarily, that country should tolerate them."

(4) Afghan refugees who worked for western nations

Thousands of Afghans who worked for the US, Britain, and other western countries before the Taliban's takeover are stranded in Pakistan.

The US has provided Pakistani authorities with a list of more than 25,000 Afghan individuals for resettlement and relocation to the US. However, Pakistan claims that the list released by the US is flawed and includes names of non-Afghans.

Pakistan's interim Interior Minister, Sarfraz Bugti, has voiced concerns about these refugees. He says that if Western nations are sensitive to the plight of Afghan refugees, they should have made more efforts to relocate them in the two years following the fall of Kabul.

Bugti has outlined a deadline for the relocation of Afghan refugees to Western countries like the US and the UK. He states that if these individuals are not relocated by the stipulated deadline, they may be declared illegal refugees, leading to their detention and deportation.

(5) Reactions from UNHCR, US, and other western nations

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed concerns regarding the possibility of forced deportations.

The UNHCR has particularly emphasised its concern regarding the deportation of minorities, journalists, and women who face heightened risks under the Taliban regime.

In contrast, the United States, the European Union, and seven other significant nations have jointly called upon Afghanistan's neighboring countries to establish a system for registering undocumented Afghans rather than resorting to their forced deportation back to Afghanistan.

This statement, released in Washington on 1 November, has received endorsement from a coalition of nations, including Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

It, “urged all states, including Afghanistan’s neighbours, to uphold their applicable obligations concerning the protection of refugees, to promote the right to seek asylum, and to ensure that individuals, particularly those from at-risk groups who would face persecution or torture if returned, are protected from being forcibly returned.”