Peshawar:
Pakistan began to expel documented Afghan refugees before its deadline so that they can leave, according to the United Nations, in a decision that could see more than a million Afghans expelled from the country.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that he had received information reporting and expulsing from Afghans legally registered across the country before Pakistan’s departure on September 1.
The UNHCR said that referring the Afghans in this way was a violation of Pakistan’s international obligations. “UNHCR calls on the government to stop forced return and adopt a human approach to ensure the voluntary, progressive and worthy return of Afghans,” he said in a statement.
The voluntary return of documented refugees will begin immediately, said an order from the Ministry of the Interior that Reuters. He said the formal expulsion process will start after the deadline.
But Qaisar Khan Afridi, UNHCR spokesman, told Reuters on Wednesday that hundreds of legally recorded Afghan refugees had already been detained and expelled in Afghanistan from August 1 to August 4.
The Ministry of the Interior did not respond to Reuters comment.
“Such a massive and hasty return could compromise the life and freedom of Afghan refugees, while risking instability not only in Afghanistan, but in the region,” said CDNC.
Afghanistan rejected the accusations and qualified repatriations as forced expulsion. In addition to the repatriation of Pakistan, Afghanistan also faces a new wave of mass deportations of Iran. Aid groups fear that the influx is more likely to destabilize the country.
