Pakistani police has said that all detained Afghan nationals without valid residence permit will remain in prison until grounds for deportation is provided.
Pakistan’s counter-terrorism department on Sunday, May 4, detained at least 175 Afghan citizens through a search operation in Islamabad.
Islamabad police confirmed that at least 175 Afghans were incarcerated and imprisoned in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, according to official sources.
This comes as the police had not stated that all these individuals were Afghan citizens, in the initial announcement.
According to the Islamabad police, these people are accused of violating the law, Article 14 of Pakistan’s Foreign Nationals Registration Act.
On Monday, June 4, Some Afghan refugees currently residing in Pakistan reported to Afghanistan International that police entered Afghan immigrants’ homes for inspection and arrested them.
There are women and children among the detainees, said a representative of Afghan refugees who wanted his identity to be kept secret.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, new waves of Afghan refugees entered Pakistan in search of safety and job opportunities. However, Pakistani police has continuously incarcerated Afghan nationals in large numbers and deported them to their home country.
These refugees claim that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Pakistan and human rights organizations have failed to defend refugees’ rights and protect them from being harassed, detained and forcefully deported.
