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UN alarmed by reports of human rights abuses against Afghans forced to leave Pakistan
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said Wednesday night he was alarmed by reports that the arbitrary expulsion of Afghan nationals from Pakistan has been accompanied by abuse, including ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests and detention, destruction of property and personal belongings, and extortion.
Pakistan ordered undocumented foreigners, including Afghans residing in Pakistan, to leave the country by November 1 this year. Between 15 September and 11 November, over 327,000 people have arrived in Afghanistan from Pakistan, many compelled to leave out of fear of arrest, the UN said in a statement.
Reports have also emerged that the Pakistani authorities have in some instances disregarded their promise to only expel undocumented migrants, the UN Human Rights Office said.
“These new developments are at variance with Pakistan’s decades-long tradition of hosting, generously, Afghan refugees in vast numbers,” Türk said.
The UN Human Rights Office has received first-hand accounts from Afghans crossing the border who allege they were subjected to arbitrary treatment or abuse by Pakistan authorities.
One person said: “The local police conducted a night raid on our home. They confiscated cash, jewelry, goats, sheep and other items from our home and took them. They gave us just a few hours to collect the remaining stuff and leave the home by that day at dawn. As we were leaving, a bulldozer began to destroy our home. We felt very helpless and left the village with eyes full of tears.”
“Many Afghans are arriving with very few financial resources, having been forced to leave their homes and jobs, in addition to being forced to pay bribes or having their possessions seized,” Türk said. “In the current context of Afghanistan, this is exacerbating an already precarious humanitarian situation.”
In some instances reported to UN Human Rights, Afghans have been arbitrarily arrested and detained in Pakistan, with some alleging ill-treatment.
“Arbitrary arrests and detentions are contrary to Pakistan’s obligations under international law,” Türk added.
“The right to liberty of person is a fundamental right guaranteed to everyone without discrimination, including all migrants, irrespective of status. Immigration detention should be a last resort, and not used to compel return, and should be avoided completely in the case of children and other vulnerable groups.”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights renewed his appeal to the government of Pakistan to suspend the Afghan return programme until individual assessment procedures and other safeguards required by international law are in place, and to investigate complaints of abuse by law enforcement officers.
Three road construction projects worth about one billion Afghanis started in capital Kabul on Saturday.
The projects were inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
The projects are: the second phase of Kotal Khairkhane road, the first part of the Shahid square to Qasaba, and the Airport road to Gumruk.
In the inauguration ceremony, Mullah Baradar said that Kabul municipality is working hard to beautify and regulate the city, and people should cooperate with the government in protecting public benefit projects.
He directed the officials of Kabul municipality to complete the mentioned projects on time and with good quality.
The second phase of Kotel Khairkhaneh road is 2.5 kilometers long and 60 meters wide. Thie road will cost 364 million Afghanis and will be completed in 20 months.
The Shahid square-Qasaba road is 1.8 kilometers long and 45 meters wide, which will be built at a cost of 175 million Afghanis in one year.
The Airport-Gumruk road is 2.7 km long and 60 meters wide, which will be completed at a cost of 407 million Afghanis in 20 months.
The projects are funded by Kabul Municipality.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said on Friday that the main threat for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members emanates from Afghanistan where international terrorist groups find shelter due to unstable and indefinite political situation.
Speaking at a meeting of the SCO defense ministers in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, Shoygu said Washington has stepped up efforts to restore its positions in Central and South Asia that were lost after the withdrawal of coalition troops from Afghanistan, Anadolu Agency reported.
The military chief called “unacceptable” the deployment of the American military infrastructure in the region, arguing that intentions should be regarded as “a direct threat to stability in the SCO space.”
According to him, the US is trying to impose a new security system in the Asia-Pacific region for dominance.
This comes as the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly emphasized that it does not allow anyone to pose threats to any other country from Afghanistan soil.
Recently, Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, Acting Minister of National Defense Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid said that no destructive groups including Daesh have physical presence in Afghanistan,
In a statement on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the victory of the Mujahideen against the then communist government, the Islamic Emirate said that it is a day of freedom of the Afghan nation.
The Islamic Emirate described the coup by People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan on 27th April 1978 as a dark day in history, as a result of which the people of Afghanistan suffered severe human and financial losses.
The statement said that the Afghan nation suffered huge casualties in their 14-year struggle against the thoughts and actions of the communists, as 1.5 million people died and millions more faced various hardships.
“After 20 years of Jihad, our country was freed from another occupation and the Islamic system was established, so the Islamic Emirate will make its utmost efforts so that the fruits of decades of sacrifice and struggle of this nation are not wasted,” the statement said.
“It was the wish of the martyrs to fully implement the Islamic system in the country, and therefore, the Islamic Emirate is trying to facilitate development and prosperity under the shadow of the Islamic system in order to realize the goals of the Afghan people’s jihads,” it added.
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