Tag: afghan refugees

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

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

    The Pakistani government is set to deport more than 90,000 Afghan refugees by November 1, prompting protests among civil rights activists. Actors, too, are condemning the expulsion. Viral videos show Afghan children in tears as they say goodbye to their friends, expressing sadness over being deported.

    Actress Sanam Saeed has appealed to the government of Pakistan asking that in light of circumstances around the world, Pakistanis must extend their kindness to people seeking shelter in this country.

    “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.”

    Veteran actress Nadia Jamil expressed her outrage over a post showing how Afghan children were taken to court and treated as criminals. She shared Osman Khalid Butt’s post and wrote “Statelessness. Their crime is their families Afghan refugee past. Most of them were born here.”

    Columnist Fatima Bhutto shared a video of an Afghan child tearfully saying goodbye to his classmates as he was set to be deported. In the caption she wrote:
    “This is just wrong of Pakistan. It’s inhumane. We must protect the Afghan refugees of this country and allow them a chance to rebuild their lives.”

  • Afghan kids’ sentimental reactions on leaving Pakistan

    Amidst the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, a large number of children born and raised in Pakistan, not ready to leave their friends and schools, are being forced to leave too. Videos featuring the children bidding farewells are going viral on the internet.

    In one, a young Afghani boy can be seen saying goodbye to his classmates.

    In another one, little Afghan girls can be seen singing the National Anthem and expressing their disappointment on leaving since all they know is that Pakistan is their home.

    Worrisome pictures have also emerged on X (formerly Twitter) with claims that some of the Afghan children are being presented in court after being arrested from their madrassahs and schools in Karachi. Afghan refugee advocate Moniza Kakkar has said, “This raises serious concerns about their legal rights as refugees”.

  • ‘We know where they are’ : Sarfraz Bugti finalizes plan for repatriation of illegal immigrants

    ‘We know where they are’ : Sarfraz Bugti finalizes plan for repatriation of illegal immigrants

    Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti has confirmed the completion of the plan to repatriate illegal immigrants in Pakistan.

    With the approaching November 1 deadline, the government is set to relocate these individuals to centers within their respective provinces.

    During a press conference, Minister Bugti assured that families of illegal foreigners, including women and children, would be treated with utmost respect.

    He said that “holding centres” had been formed in the provinces as well as Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan where illegal immigrants will be provided medical facilities and food.

    Bugti said after November 1, arrested persons will be kept in the centers. He also announced that returnees could carry a maximum of Rs50,000 with them.

    He emphasized that there would be no compromise on the issue of the return of foreigners and that those found with fake Computerized National Identity Cards (CNCs) would face consequences.

    Sarfraz Bugti said illegal properties of illegal foreigners including illegal Afghan refugees, will be confiscated, and announced action will also be taken against Pakistanis who provide facilities to the illegal aliens.

    He further said that the state had carried out geo-fencing to identify areas where illegal immigrants were residing. “We know where they are. They are in villages, in Pakistan’s metropolitan cities, in different small cities. The government has complete know-how about where they are.”

    “We are encouraging voluntary return so that they can be saved from being manhandled and arrested,” Bugti said. “I assure you that once our investigation is complete, anybody involved in this illegal work will be punished.”

    The first flight of illegal Afghan refugees to Britain for resettlement will begin today (Thursday).

    The first chartered flight carrying 230 Afghan refugees will depart from Islamabad to the UK.

    In this regard, arrangements have been completed at Islamabad International Airport.

  • First flight carrying asylum-seeking Afghans departs from Islamabad to UK today

    The first flight carrying asylum-seeking Afghans will depart from Islamabad International Airport for the United Kingdom on Thursday.

    200 Afghan refugees are reportedly going to fly out today.

    The Independent has reported that around 3,000 Afghans, many of whom worked for the British army, are to be given UK residency after the Afghan Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021.

    For the time being, the UK has accommodated them in Pakistan since 2022, whereas hundreds have been stuck and await their turn to get relocated.

    The Independent wrote that in “A U-turn of government policy, ministers have pledged that all Afghans eligible for the UK’s resettlement schemes will no longer have to wait for accommodation to be confirmed before coming to Britain”.

    This u-turn was taken after Pakistan gave an ultimatum to all undocumented foreign nationals to leave by November 1 after which they will be deported.

    A British High Commission delegation met senior officials from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) on Tuesday.

    According to the senior CAA official, around 2,000 Afghan refugees will be repatriated by mid-December through one or two weekly chartered flights from Islamabad to the UK.

  • 62,079 undocumented Afghans repatriated so far

    62,079 undocumented Afghans repatriated so far

    Many illegal Afghan citizens living in Pakistan are heading back to their homeland by October 31.

    So far, 62,079 undocumented Afghans have been repatriated.

    On October 22 alone, 2518 Afghans went back to Afghanistan.

    Among these 2518 Afghan citizens were 522 men, 218 women and 1778 children.

    Pakistan has accelerated the process of sending back illegal Afghans. As per reports, Afghans in Peshawar, Khyber and other areas have started selling their properties.

    Operations to arrest and deport illegal citizens have been under way.

    On October 4, the caretaker government set November 1 as the deadline for illegal immigrants residing in Pakistan, warning that action will be taken against them after the deadline. The decision was taken during an apex committee meeting on the National Action Plan (NAP) at the Prime Minister’s House.

    “We have given them [foreigners residing in Pakistan unlawfully] a deadline of November 1 to willingly return to their countries and if they don’t, all law enforcement agencies (LEAs) of the state and provinces will deport them,” Interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti had stated at a press conference.

  • Illegal Afghan residents arrested in Islamabad

    Illegal Afghan residents arrested in Islamabad

    The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Islamabad has conducted a major search operation on Sunday against Afghans residing illegally in the city.

    Afghans with legal documents are allowed to stay in Pakistan, while a crackdown on illegal residents and criminals is still in process.

    CTD has conducted operations in Bhara Kahu, Tarnool, Mehrabadi, Golra, Shams Colony and other areas.

    According to the CTD spokesperson, 375 Afghan citizens without any identification documents were arrested for illegal stay, while many criminals were also identified. The accused will be deported to Pakistan after completion of legal proceedings.

    During the operation, 400 Afghan nationals were released on providing proof of residency, while 25 Afghans will remain in detention until their documents are verified.

  • US wants to investigate Pakistan’s role in Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

    US senators have introduced a bill in the US Senate calling for an investigation into the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan and those groups, and people, who helped oust the Ashraf Ghani-led government, Geo News has reported.The bill was presented by 22 Republican senators.

    The ‘Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act’ also seeks to establish a task force that will focus on continued evacuation of American citizens, legal permanent residents and Special Immigrant Visa holders from Afghanistan.

    The presented bill states that the “support by state and non-state actors, including the Government of Pakistan, for the Taliban between 2001 and 2020, provision of sanctuary space, financial support, intelligence support, logistics and medical support, training, equipping, and tactical, operational, or strategic direction” should be investigated.

    The bill also seeks to investigate the support provided to Taliban allegedly by non-state actors and the government of Pakistan into the Panjshir Valley operation by the Taliban. The bill further seeks to place restrictions on non-humanitarian foreign assistance to Afghanistan.

    Federal Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari, while reacting to the bill, tweeted, “So again Pak will be made to pay heavy price 4 being an ally of US in its War on Terror.”