Amnesty International has expressed deep concerns about the plight of Afghan migrants in Pakistan, calling upon the Pakistani government to halt the arbitrary detention and mistreatment of these refugees immediately.
On Monday, the South Asia branch of Amnesty International announced its concerns regarding the treatment of Afghan migrants in Pakistan. In light of reports indicating the detention of 800 Afghan refugees in Pakistan, the organization stressed that these migrants are at risk of harassment, abuse, detention, and deportation.
Amnesty International points out that the global community has largely overlooked this issue, and most of the migrants in Islamabad have fled to Pakistan out of fear of arrest after the rise of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Dinushika Dissanayake, the Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s South Asia division, emphasized that “Afghans cannot return to their homeland or remain permanently in Pakistan. They are in legal limbo, and the challenging process of seeking asylum or resettlement in a third country has made these migrants vulnerable.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s SAMAA TV reported two days ago that the Pakistani police have recently detained 800 Afghan migrants in the capital city. According to reports, 400 detained migrants were released after their documents were reviewed.
On the other hand, the Pakistani government has announced that, according to a new policy, illegal migrants will be deported from the country. This comes as the number of Afghan migrants in Pakistan and neighbouring countries has increased after the rise of the Taliban administration due to factors such as poverty, security concerns, and unemployment.
