Tag: Afghan

  • Pakistan ‘mapping’ resident Afghans before eviction push

    Pakistan ‘mapping’ resident Afghans before eviction push

    Pakistan is gathering data on Afghan migrants – including those legally resident in the country – ahead of a renewed eviction push slated to start after Eid, official sources told AFP on Tuesday.

    More than half a million Afghans fled Pakistan last year after the former government ordered undocumented migrants to leave or face arrest, as Islamabad-Kabul relations soured over security.

    Islamabad initially set a November 2023 deadline, however two officials, who asked to remain anonymous, said evictions would resume in the coming weeks.

    “This time, instructions have been given to also collect data and conduct mapping of legally resident Afghan citizens,” said a top government official in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan.

    A senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police official said whilst “a final decision” has not yet been taken by the government, “police have sprung into action regarding Afghan citizens”.

    “The federal government has directed to not only collect data of legal and illegal Afghan citizens but also to conduct their mapping,” he said.

    Two officials, who asked not to be named, previously told AFP the renewed push to evict migrants will begin after Eid, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramazan, set to be celebrated in April’s second week.

    Pakistan’s interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

    Islamabad has previously said the massive eviction scheme is justified by security concerns and its faltering economy.

    The Taliban government has consistently denied the allegations.

    Millions of Afghans have poured into Pakistan over the years, fleeing decades of cascading conflict.

    Afghans who left Pakistan last year were only allowed to cross the border with limited belongings and cash, and arrived in the midst of one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

    Some had never set foot in Afghanistan before, having been born in Pakistan to Afghan parents.

    An estimated 600,000 arrived since the Taliban government seized power in August 2021 and imposed its stark interpretation of Islamic law.

    Before the first wave of evictions began, Pakistan estimated there were 1.7 million Afghans living illegally in the country.

    The stand-off between Islamabad and Kabul worsened last week when eight civilians were killed in Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan’s border regions, according to Taliban officials.

  • Afghan child killed in Karachi in fight over garbage collection

    Afghan child killed in Karachi in fight over garbage collection

    A 5-year-old child, Shehzad Gul, was beaten to death in what is being described as a dispute over garbage collection between two groups in Surjani Town, Karachi, reports Dawn.

    The horrific incident took place in Sector-4B. Shehzad Gul was one of three children and had two sisters.

    The dispute erupted between two Afghans over the collection of garbage, which led to the murder. The suspect(s) had been identified and police were waiting for the family to lodge an FIR to formally initiate legal proceedings.

    The victim’s father, Gul Mohammad, told reporters that he had been collecting garbage from houses for the last one month. On Friday, his son and a daughter accompanied him to collect the garbage.

    During the work, he left both children for a while and went to another street and when he returned, he learned that his son had been injured after being hit with a hard and blunt instrument.
    He rushed the child to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) where doctors confirmed his death.
    The grief-stricken father said that he had been receiving “threats” from a man who had got the contract of garbage collection earlier. He suspected that his son was killed over that dispute.
    “I am a poor labourer who earns Rs13,000 on a monthly basis through garbage collection,” said the father.

  • Angelina Jolie slams global hypocrisy on human rights

    Hollywood A-lister and human rights activist Angelina Jolie, has talked about the hypocrisy in the world when it comes to human rights application.

    “The world is suffering from ambivalence on the issue of human rights,” she remarked in a recent interview.

    Jolie lamented the duplicity and discrimination of the world regarding human rights, saying that the scale of human rights is different for everyone, the fact is that the world works on business interests. Her comments come on the heels of her unequivocal demand for a ceasefire of Israeli attacks on Gaza.

    “Human rights can be for some people and some people can never be. Accountability for some people’s crime and not at all for some people, this is the ugly face of the world.”
    The actress said that she does not know of any country in the world which is free from these things.

    “Some people think that the colonial system has ended but the fact is that the control and exploitation of developing countries is still going on,” the actress observed.

    In her statement about Gaza, the Hollywood actress said that what happened in Israel cannot be a justification for bombing the civilian population of Gaza, pointing out that a few trucks cannot meet the aid needs of the besieged population, more than 20,000 of whom have been killed by Israel while the rest are at risk of starvation and disease.

    Angelina Jolie added that Gaza has a total population of two million, half of whom are children, who have been living under siege for two decades.

  • Afghan migrants barred from supporting or funding elections

    The Ministry of Interior announced on Monday that Afghan migrants are barred from supporting candidates in the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8 next year.

    The caretaker government, citing security concerns, has initiated a nationwide campaign to expel millions of illegal foreigners, predominantly Afghan citizens, residing in the country.

    The Ministry of Interior specified that both illegal and “legal” Afghans residing in Pakistan are prohibited from funding political and electoral activities, including providing funds to any candidate, in the upcoming polls.

    “Any Afghan citizen involved in such activities will be deported regardless of his or her legal status in Pakistan,” it stated.

    Pakistanis were also cautioned not to provide employment to illegal aliens or assist such individuals in obtaining employment.

    “Information about any such illegal alien or the person providing employment to him should be provided to the Ministry of Interior for legal action on the helpline available on the website of the Ministry.”

    Of the over four million Afghans in Pakistan, an estimated 1.7 million are undocumented, many having fled their war-torn country during decades of internal conflict, with another exodus occurring after the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.

    While the government asserts that its policy targets all illegal aliens, irrespective of nationality or ethnicity, human rights organizations, including the UN, have expressed concerns, emphasizing the importance of a “voluntary” return.

    Amidst the ongoing efforts, several Pakistani politicians and Human Rights activists have approached the Supreme Court, seeking judicial intervention against the caretaker government’s deportation of illegal foreign nationals, including Afghans.

  • No ‘illegal alien’ sent back on Friday thanks to verification process installed by Afghan Consulate General

    For the first time since the start of the repatriation plan of undocumented immigrants early this month, not a single ‘illegal alien’ was sent home via Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday as Afghan authorities has announced to link the acceptance of deportations with the verification of their status by the Afghan consulate-general here.

    The decision was made after multiple cases of Afghan-looking Pakistanis being deported to Afghanistan surfaced. “Multiple cases of Pakistanis being sent to Afghanistan as illegal migrants have been reported,” an official source in the Afghan Consulate told Dawn.

    Unfortunately, whenever Afghan authorities took such Pakistanis to the border, Pakistani officials refused to receive them.

    The other reason stated by Afghan consulate is the harassment Afghan deportees are facing at the hands of Pakistani authorities even though many of them are repatriating voluntarily.

    “Many illegal aliens are leaving Pakistan voluntarily but they’re stopped and taken into custody on their way before their repartition. They’re not given time to carry their belongings,” an official told Dawn.

    Afghan consulate expressed concern over the separation of families that has been observed over the month. They said in “many” cases, men from undocumented families were deported, leaving behind their female dependants.

    Pakistani authorities have said that they have not been informed about the deportation condition, claiming that all allegations leveled by Afghan consulate are “baseless”, delaying the process of deportation.

    “Only deportation is linked with the verification letter. The voluntary repatriation is still continuing without any hurdle,” Pakistan responded.

    However, around 119 illegal migrants were deported from Punjab to Afghanistan via the Torkham border crossing on Thursday, according to officials.

  • In times of division and hatred, Kabli Pulao was the necessary television content we needed

    In times of division and hatred, Kabli Pulao was the necessary television content we needed

    Who would have thought that at a time when Pakistan is seeing discrimination and hatred displayed openly for the vulnerable Afghan refugees, we get to watch a television show displaying cultural solidarity and harmony in such a beautiful manner? When Green Entertainment announced ‘Kabli Pulao’ among their list of to-be-released dramas, many were curious about whether it would follow the lines of the misogynist trope involving an old man marrying a younger woman, given the wide age gap between the main lead actors Sabeen Farooq and Mohammed Ehteshamuddin. But, this is a show every person needs to watch to accept our cultural differences, and that no one is an ‘illegal alien’.

    The drama centres around elderly bachelor Hajji Mushtaq, who spent his life caring for his sisters and their children, and is lovingly referred to as ‘baray abba’ by them. When he meets Barbeena while travelling in Mardan, her brother begs him to marry her to protect her from falling into the hands of her abusive brother-in-law. Hajji Mushtaq reluctantly agrees to do so.

    Their marriage is obviously not met with approval at first. Barbeena’s entry into Mushtaq’s family is met with scorn and racism. Mushtaq’s sisters Chammo and Zubaida at first suspect she is a spy, sent to take over their brother’s wealth and force them out of the family. Barbeena has to pretend she is a newly hired maid, and after a feud reveals that she is actually Mushtaq’s wife, she is met with accusations of shaming the honour of the family.

    But the willingness displayed by Barbeena to win over the family, and especially how she brings joy into Hajji Mushtaq’s life, and then slowly for the rest of the family members, is something no other drama has ever displayed. It is Barbeena’s Afghan background that helps her win over everyone else. In episode four, the family fawns over her roghni naans and her kabli pulao. Barbeena bonds with the younger children by singing Afghan songs, sharing her traditional dresses and dancing with them. Soon she partners with Hajji Mushtaq to set up her business selling the kabli pulao to customers.

    It was some time ago when I was re-watching episode three, where the family hounds Hajji Mustaq and begs him to send Barbeena away. Ironically at this point, there was a heartbreaking video going viral on the internet featuring a young Afghan boy with tears in his eyes saying goodbye to his classmates as his family was being sent back to Afghanistan. Since that moment, we’ve seen consistently how much burden the term ‘illegal alien’ carries, the way it strips a human of their humanity and dignity.

    Videos from Aurat March show how Afghan refugees were kept in cramped conditions, denied basic respect as their children were picked up by officers and ‘accidentally deported’ over racist assumptions. Irony lies in how this is the same country where ‘Kabuli Pulao’ was became one of the best television shows to come out this year, yet it’s sole inspiration, the Afghan refugees, are treated with such malice.

    The enduring message of Barbeena’s resilience, and her blossoming relationship with Hajji Mushtaq, was that there is beauty in our cultural diversity. Barbeena’s uniqueness in her Afghan heritage, turned this drama into more than just a simple love story but a message on how Pakistani’s need to know more than ever to open up their hearts rather than shut them down. Accept our neighbours as our friends rather than turn them away because of our own internalised racism.

    This message resonates with the horrific treatment of the Palestinians in Gaza, and how their oppression is justified with terms like ‘human animals’ and ‘barbarians’. Because now more than ever, us Pakistanis need to become the anti-thesis of hateful rhetoric and learn to hold those close who had no choice but to leave their homes in search of better opportunities.

    All episodes of ‘Kabli Pulao’ are available to watch on Youtube.

  • Supreme Court will hear petition against deportation of Afghan refugees

    Supreme Court will hear petition against deportation of Afghan refugees

    In a significant development on Monday, the Supreme Court decided to entertain a petition challenging the government’s move to force out Afghan refugees from the country. The decision comes after the Supreme Court Registrar’s Office initially raised objections to the petition’s maintainability, putting a temporary halt on its progress.

    Despite the decision to entertain the petition, a specific date for the hearing is yet to be announced. According to sources, Justice Yahya Afridi of the Supreme Court heard the appeal against the objections in his chamber on Monday, as confirmed by a counsel for the petitioners.

    Mohsin Dawar took to X (former Twitter) and said, “We appeared before Justice Yahya Afridi for the Chamber Appeal against the Registrar’s objection on our petition against the mass deportation of Afghan Refugees. Our appeal has been accepted and the petition will be heard by the Supreme Court.”

    The petition, returned by the Supreme Court Registrar’s Office on November 8, faced objections related to its maintainability. One notable objection was the absence of a specific question of public importance regarding the enforcement of fundamental rights as guaranteed under the Constitution, warranting the invocation of Article 184(3).

    In response to the objections, the petitioners contended that their case raised critical issues pertaining to fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. The appeal, filed by Umer Ijaz Gillani on behalf of human rights activists and politicians, argued that the issues presented in the petition are essential for safeguarding the rights guaranteed in the Constitution.

    “The issues raised in the petition are critical for securing the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution,” stated the appeal. It emphasized the need to prevent constitutional promises from becoming mere rhetoric, asserting, “The promises contained in the Constitution must never be allowed to become mere verbiage, the harbingers of false hope.”

    The petitioners include prominent figures such as Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, Human rights activist Amina Masood Janjua, National Democratic Movement Chairman Mohsin Dawar, lawyer Jibran Nasir, Rohail Kasi, Syed Muaz Shah, Pastor Ghazala Parveen, lawyer Iman Zainab Mazari, Ahmad Shabbar, Advocate Imran Shafiq, Luke Victor, and Sijal Shafiq.

    The petitioners stated in their press release on Sunday, “After 18 days of eager wait and continuous legal struggle, the Supreme Court has finally fixed our Case against the Caretaker Government’s Mass Deportation drive for a preliminary hearing. The hearing will be conducted by a 1-member bench comprising Mr. Justice Yahya Afridi inside his Chamber. It is scheduled for 1:00 pm on Monday, 20th November, 2023.

    Needless to say that under Article 184(3), the principal responsibility for taking charge of the situation and preventing systemic violation of fundamental rights vests in the Court itself. The petitioners’ role is that of informants who apprise the Court about what is happening and prick its judicial conscience.

    What has been happening to scores of people since October 3, when this draconian Deportation Drive was launched by a government lacking all mandate, is clear to all and sundry. However, in order to assist the Court in discharge of its sacred duty, the counsel for the Petitioners will appear before the bench.”

    The government of Pakistan decided to deport all the illegal aliens from the country early in October.

    A vast majority of them are Afghans who were given a deadline of November 1 to leave the country voluntarily or else there would be a crackdown.

    The government has identified phases in which these Afghan immigrants will be repatriated under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.

    There is a large number of 1.7 million Afgan refugees which the government aims to repatriate in the first phase of the plan. More than 200,000 of them have been repatriated until now.

    Aurat March protests

    Aurat March Lahore reiterated its demand that the Government of Pakistan immediately halt deportations of Afghan refugees, during a protest on Saturday.

    The protestors further stated that the hastily imposed 1 November expulsion deadline is an authoritarian decision that exceeds the caretaker government’s limited constitutional mandate. It effectively overturned decades of refugee policy overnight without accountability or transparency.

    Furthermore, the ill-thought-out decision has resulted in the denial of Afghan refugees’ rights to liberty,due process, and, in many cases, citizenship.

    On 29 October 2023, Aurat March chapters from across the country marked their protest and addressed an open letter urging the caretaker Prime Minister, Anwar ul Haq Kakar, to reverse his decision.

    However, this caretaker government has failed to yield to these demands and has since doubled down on its decision by announcing that the second phase of deportations will be of “documented” refugees.

    Aurat March stated, “We refuse this insidious distinction between “documented” and “undocumented” refugees; all refugees have the non-derogable right to non-refoulement and deserve support, not persecution.”

  • Angelina Jolie ‘saddened’ by forced deportation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan

    Angelina Jolie ‘saddened’ by forced deportation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan

    Angelina Jolie has always been one for speaking her mind. The Hollywood A-lister and UNHCR ambassador won hearts globally when she openly criticised the Israeli regime for air strikes on Gaza which has claimed countless innocent lives. Now, she has spoken out against the deportation of 1. (www.enov8.com) 4 million Afghan refugees from Pakistan.

    Reporters have said that they are banned from taking pictures of detention centres or to speak with any of the captives, and several families have reported that their children were being picked up despite having a birth certificate.

    Sharing clips of Afghan families and children stranded at the border, Angelina called this an example of “the backsliding in human rights globally,” on her Instagram.

    “Pakistan has been a supporter for many Afghan refugee families for decades. I am saddened they would so abruptly push back refugees who face the impossible realities of trying to survive in today’s Afghanistan, where women have again been deprived of all rights and the possibility of education, many are being imprisoned, and there is a deep humanitarian crisis.

    It is yet another example of the backsliding in human rights globally, and is a new tragedy in the long history of the suffering of Afghan people – who have experienced nothing but war and conflict and displacement for over forty years, and are being abandoned by the world after all the promises that were made of a better future for the Afghan people.”

  • ‘Be considerate’: Hasan Raheem outraged at racist comment about Afghan cricket team

    ‘Be considerate’: Hasan Raheem outraged at racist comment about Afghan cricket team

    Tuesday’s World Cup thriller between Afghanistan and Australia ended with the latter grabbing victory from the former after Glen Maxwell’s blistering knock of 201 runs.

    As X (formerly Twitter) became flooded with memes and tweets about Maxwell’s performance, one user went viral for celebrating the loss of the Afghan cricket team by comparing it to the ongoing illegal deportations of Afghan refugees. The user wrote:

    “Afghanistan to World Cup se bhi deport ho gaya.”

    The comment drew outrage from Twitter users, including singer Hasan Raheem who quoted the tweet and responded:

    Zunaira Imam, the wife of actor and director Usman Mukhtar expressed her disdain over the insensitive tweet by writing:

    “This is not funny. This is not a joke. People are suffering right now. Our policies are not only harming Afghans but also Pashtuns who are being wrongfully incarcerated or deported. People’s pain and hardship should not be the punchline for a joke.”

    Right now, more than 100,000 Afghan refugees are detained in holding centres despite most of them being registered in Pakistan. Aurat March has highlighted cases such as that of a 17-year-old boy who was picked up and deported without informing his family.

    READ MORE: ‘Afghan-looking’ Pakistanis taken to holding centres for deportation, says Aurat March

    In light of the trauma Afghan families face with the on-going deportations, X users were aghast at the insensitivity of the tweet. Especially when Pakistanis are championing the right for Palestinians to be given back their land.

  • ‘No one leaves their home by choice’: Mahira Khan appeals for Afghan refugees

    ‘No one leaves their home by choice’: Mahira Khan appeals for Afghan refugees

    Actress and UN ambassador Mahira Khan joins the rallying cry to protect Afghan refugees from deportations. Right now, Aurat March reports several Pakistani Pushtuns were picked up and taken to deportation centers because they ‘looked Afghan’.

    READ MORE: ‘Afghan-looking’ Pakistanis taken to holding centres for deportation, says Aurat March

    The ‘Humsafar’ actress shared pictures wearing her UNICEF vest and standing next to women. In the caption she wrote:

    “No one leaves their home behind by choice.
    Here in Pakistan, I’ve been proud of our tradition of hospitality towards those in search of safety, dignity and respect.
    For over 40 years we have provided safety to our Afghan brothers and sisters in need.

    There are people who are still in need of our kindness and compassion, who are at risk if they return.

    I appeal to my government to continue to support those who need it.”

    Several prominent celebrities have raised their voices as gruesome stories of the brutal treatment of Afghan refugees arrive from activists. Sanam Saeed appealed to the Pakistani government to show mercy to those seeking a better life. She wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

    “Deporting refugees who seek shelter here will not make our fundamental issues go away. It looks like we are deflecting blame from challenges that the govt or the country overall is facing. At a time like this in the world right now, we need to show more mercy.”

    READ MORE: ‘Show more mercy’: Sanam Saeed calls for Pakistani government to stop deporting Afghan refugees