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Pakistan must stop mass detention, deportation of Afghan refugees: rights watchdog
The government of Pakistan must immediately halt the continued detentions, deportations and widespread harassment of Afghan refugees, Amnesty International said on Friday.
According to Islamabad, more than 170,000 Afghans, many of whom have lived in Pakistan for decades, have had to leave the country since 17 September when the government announced that all ‘unregistered foreign nationals’ had to leave Pakistan by 1 November.
Amnesty International said it is concerned by the complete lack of transparency, due process and accountability in the detentions and deportations taking place over the last week.
This has been exacerbated by increased incidents of harassment and hostility against Afghan refugees in the country, it added.
“Thousands of Afghan refugees are being used as political pawns to be returned to Taliban-ruled (IEA) Afghanistan where their life and physical integrity could be at risk amidst an intensified crackdown on human rights and an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe,” Livia Saccardi, Amnesty International’s South Asia Campaigns Deputy Director, said. “No one should be subjected to mass forced deportations, and Pakistan would do well to remember its international legal obligations, including the principle of non-refoulement.”
Saccardi said that if the Pakistani government doesn’t halt the deportations immediately, “it will be denying thousands of at-risk Afghans, especially women and girls, access to safety, education and livelihood.”
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has announced that it will continue providing its essential health services to the people of Afghanistan.
In a post on X, the organization, referring to Afghanistan’s health needs, said that over the past year it has been active in various health sectors across the country, ranging from maternal and child care to emergency response, as well as the treatment of patients suffering from tuberculosis and severe injuries.
According to MSF, its teams over the past year have been present at a range of health facilities, including neonatal intensive care units, operating theatres, surgical centers, and specialized tuberculosis treatment wards, where they have delivered life-saving services to patients.
The organization stressed that it will continue ensuring the provision of health services, particularly for needy families and vulnerable communities in remote areas of Afghanistan.
The Embassy of Afghanistan in Japan, currently run by diplomats of the previous government, has announced that it will suspend its operations in Tokyo after the end of January 2026.
In a statement issued on Friday, the embassy said the decision was made after consultations with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in close coordination with Japanese authorities, and in accordance with the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The embassy added that after January 31, all of its political, economic, cultural, and consular activities will be halted until further notice.
Currently, Shaida Abdali is serving as Afghanistan’s ambassador to Japan.
Sadin Ayyıldız, Chargé d’Affaires of the Turkish Embassy in Kabul, held a courtesy meeting with Zakir Jalali, the Second Political Deputy of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the occasion of the start of his mission.
The Turkish Embassy in Kabul said in a post that the meeting included mutual exchanges of views on bilateral relations.
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