Amnesty again urges Pakistan to reverse decision on deporting Afghan refugees

Ahead of the Pakistan Government’s deadline on 1 November 2023 for forced deportations of unregistered Afghan refugees, Amnesty International on Tuesday called on Pakistan to reverse its decision immediately.

“Amnesty International strongly reiterates its call to the Government of Pakistan to immediately reverse its decision to forcibly deport unregistered Afghan refugees ahead of the deadline set for tomorrow. Pakistan must meet its international legal obligations including the principle of non-refoulement and stop the crackdown against, and harassment of, Afghan refugees across the country,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Senior Director.

“Afghan refugees’ lives and rights are at stake due to the collective failure of the Pakistan Government and the international community to share the responsibility for their protection. This is simply unacceptable,” added Muchena.

Amnesty International also called on the international community to financially support Pakistan for hosting Afghan refugees, and to share the responsibility to provide protection to those fleeing persecution in Afghanistan.

According to the group, more than 1.4 million refugees are at risk of being uprooted from the place they’ve taken refuge and called home.

“There is still time for Pakistan to act swiftly today to avoid creating a crisis where families are rendered homeless, denied access to livelihood and basic services and separated in the lead up to the harsh winter months,” Amnesty International said in a statement.

Amnesty International has previously documented the harassment meted out to Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

In the last 12 months, Amnesty has also sent correspondence to the Pakistani government to raise concerns regarding the delays in registration, harassment and discrimination faced by Afghan refugees in the country.

Last week, Amnesty International wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister of Pakistan urging him to reverse its decision to forcibly return Afghan refugees to Afghanistan.