Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi has accused Pakistan of humiliating Kabul through the expulsion of immigrants, Khaama Press reported.
The Khaama Press is an online news service for Afghanistan.
Muttaqi said that despite their concerns being communicated to Pakistani military and foreign affairs officials, no action has been taken to halt the deportation.
He asserted that Pakistan’s deportation of immigrants is an attempt to exert pressure on Kabul but emphasized that Afghanistan will not yield to such pressure.
Muttaqi expressed his concern about Pakistan’s unilateral decision to deport Afghan refugees and migrants. He said the despite sharing their concerns with both civilian and military authorities in Pakistan, the decision to expel these vulnerable populations remains in effect, further straining the already complex relationship between the two neighbouring countries, as per Khaama Press.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has raised alarms about the severe problems and dangers faced by a significant number of Afghans forced to leave Pakistan.
Recent statistics indicate a significant flow of people returning to Afghanistan. Approximately 174,000 people have returned through the Torkham, Gholam Khan, and Angoor Ada crossings, while another 45,000 have returned via the Chaman-Spinboldak crossings.
As per Khaama Press, the ongoing deportation issue underscores the complex relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan and the challenges faced by Afghan migrants. It also sheds light on the efforts of international organisations like UNHCR to address the humanitarian concerns arising from these migrations.
Recently, the Taliban-appointed acting Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of Afghanistan, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai warned Islamabad to treat Afghan immigrants appropriately, TOLO News reported.
Stanikzai said this during the meeting on the “Future Economic Development of Afghanistan”, adding that the reaction of Afghans has been recorded in history and now Afghanistan has a strong defence force and plenty of weapons.
He further criticised Pakistan’s move to deport Afghan immigrants and considered it a unilateral decision by the Pakistan interim government, TOLO News reported.
According to the information of the Refugees and Repatriation Department of Kandahar province, 4,533 families, which reached 31,547 people, have returned from Pakistan in the last five days.
Pakistan’s caretaker government announced October 31 as the deadline for Afghan refugees to leave the country. Nearly 2 million Afghan refugees have to leave Pakistan or face forced deportation.
Pakistan, although it stressed that its decision was only targeted at sending back those without legal documents, continues to accuse Islamabad of harassing the refugees, according to The Express Tribune.
More than 6,500 Afghanistan nationals left Pakistan through the Torkham border on Sunday, taking the number of repatriated Afghans to more than 174,350, Pakistan-based Dawn reported.
However, terrorism still poses a persistent challenge and as Pakistan is unable to combat terrorism effectively, its government has now turned its focus towards the vulnerable Afghan refugee population.
In addition to voluntary repatriation, Afghan nationals imprisoned for involvement in petty crimes were also being deported, Dawn reported citing official documents.
Source : Indian Defense News
