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Mahesh

08/11/23 06:00 AM IST

Pakistan deporting Afghan migrants and refugees

In News
  • Pakistan’s new anti-immigrant policy has triggered a mass exodus of thousands of undocumented Afghan refugees, who are being forced to return to a war-stricken nation.
Who is Pakistan deporting ?
  • Almost 17 lakh people living in Pakistan with no legal documentation, a large number of whom are Afghans who sought refuge in the country after fleeing persecution in a war-stricken Afghanistan.
  • Human rights agencies estimate that about 60% of Afghan refugees in Pakistan are undocumented, and say the decision will worsen the trend of arbitrary detentions and harassment Afghan migrants have faced over the last two years.
  • The exodus started as a trickle, with authorities seeing 300 people a day at the outset; this has now increased to more than 10,000 arrivals per day,
  • Authorities reportedly demolished the houses of Afghan nationals living in illegal settlements, leaving many stranded and fearing arrest.
  • Rights groups allege the police have harassed and illegally detained all migrants, with or without documentation, under the guise of implementing its new anti-immigration policy.
Pakistan Afghan Population
  • Government figures show Pakistan is home to about 40 lakh refugees and migrants. As of June this year, Afghan refugees number above 13 lakhs, forming a large chunk of the immigrant pool.
  • The most recent migration was in August 2021 after the Taliban came to power, compelling some six lakh people to flee persecution in their home country.
  • The starting point of steady migration along this route dates back to 1979 when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan; families fled to neighbouring Pakistan andbuilt lives, livelihoods and families there.
  • Afghan refugees require a Proof of Registration (PoR) card to legally remain in Pakistan.
  • The route to a PoR is, however, barricaded by an onerous bureaucratic regime, paperwork and interminable delays.
  • Many find their visas have expired while undergoing the registration process. Amnesty International flagged that the delayed process and expired visas amplify the legal vulnerability of Afghan refugees.
  • This would particularly put women and girls in grave danger as they would be exposed to persecution and other serious human rights violations simply because of their sex and their gender.
  • Since August 2021, the Taliban has imposed bans on young and unmarried women from accessing health centres, schools and universities, public spaces, or pursuing means of employment.
Afghanistan response
  • The Taliban has criticised the decision and asked for more time; in the meantime, it has prepared temporary refugee camps equipped with water, food, and health facilities and said it would help refugees find jobs.
Is deportation legal?
  • The forceful detention and harassment are illegal, unconstitutional and violative of people’s fundamental rights, their petition argues.
  • The government has “failed to distinguish between birthright citizens and illegal immigrants,” as the law grants those born in Pakistan a claim to birthright citizenship.
  • Under the principle of non-refoulment, the United Nations specifies that countries are forbidden from directly or indirectly forcing people from returning to a place of persecution, “where they would face torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and other irreparable harm” and this principle “applies to all migrants at all times, irrespective of migration status.”
Why Pakistan announce deportation?
  • Pakistan says it is operating from a place of self-preservation — to protect its economy and national security.
  • The cash-strapped government has struggled to stabilise a collapsing economy, as a depreciating rupee, plummeting foreign exchange reserves and inflation add to people’s woes.

Source- The Hindu

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