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IEA says Pakistan has still not agreed to meeting over refugees
With eight days left until Pakistan’s deadline for all undocumented Afghan refugees to leave the country, the Islamic Emirate says Islamabad has not yet agreed to meet with IEA officials in the presence of the United Nations.
The Ministry of Immigrants and Returnees Affairs of the Islamic Emirate published a newsletter on Sunday and said that Abdul Rahman Rashid, Deputy Professional of the Ministry, met with Leonard Zulu, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Afghanistan, about the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan.
“Because the Pakistani side did not agree to the tripartite meeting – Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – in that country, the ministry decided to hold the aforementioned meeting in Kabul and the issue will be discussed through the ministry. The foreign affairs ministry of the Islamic Emirate, the partner and United Nations commissioner, should also be included,” said the ministry.
Quoting Zulu, the IEA said in its newsletter that Pakistan needs to announce its decision on whether it will hold this meeting or not.
At the beginning of this month, Islamabad gave a deadline to all undocumented immigrants to leave Pakistan by November 1 or face arrest and deportation. This affects over 1.3 million Afghans.
Calls have been made by organizations in Pakistan, by the UN and other countries for Pakistan to overturn its decision.
Meanwhile, last Thursday, the US State Department asked all of Afghanistan’s neighbors, including Pakistan, to allow Afghans seeking safety to enter their territories.
Matthew Miller, the spokesman of the US State Department, said in a news conference: “I want to say that we ask all countries, including Pakistan, to comply with their obligations in dealing with migrants and asylum seekers and to respect the principles of prohibition of forced return.”
Officials of the Islamic Emirate have also asked Pakistan to reconsider its decision to deport Afghan refugees.
The government of Pakistan has also in recent days accelerated the detention of Afghan refugees in several major cities, including Islamabad.
According to Pakistani media, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police destroyed dozens of shops in a former market run by Afghan immigrants in Peshawar Bord area on Sunday – without any warning. Before this, Islamabad police destroyed a number of houses of Afghan immigrants in Morgul area.
As the deadline for the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan approaches, the Islamic Emirate has established a camp for the short-term stay of deported refugees near Torkham port in Nangarhar province. This camp can hold 500 people.
The local authorities of the Islamic Emirate say that food, transportation and health services will be provided during the temporary stay of the returning migrants in the camp.
According to officials, as of Friday (October 20), approximately 52,000 Afghans, including women and children, have returned to their homeland.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stating that the ongoing provision of such aid plays an important role in ensuring regional security.
Speaking at the international conference “Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Tokayev described addressing complex humanitarian challenges and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as a necessity.
“To ensure regional security, we consider it essential to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan, including by strengthening international efforts to address complex humanitarian issues and the reconstruction of this country. Kazakhstan remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian aid, educational projects, trade development, and food security initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts believe that sustainable improvement of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan requires broad cooperation from the international community and support for the country’s economic development.
“Investment can be defined as one of the fundamental drivers of the economic cycle, and whenever Afghan traders do not take their money out of the country and instead invest domestically, it naturally leads to greater growth and dynamism in Afghanistan’s economy,” said Abdul Zahoor Modabber, an economic analyst.
As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues, reports by international relief organizations indicate that millions of citizens of the country are in urgent need of food, health, and livelihood assistance.
The reduction in funding for aid organizations, the impacts of climate change, and the return of migrants have increased concerns about a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.
The Islamic Emirate has announced that it will not participate in the upcoming meeting of special envoys of regional countries on Afghanistan, scheduled to be held in Tehran, despite having received an invitation.
In a statement, Zia Ahmad Takal, Head of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Islamic Emirate has maintained continuous and active engagement with all regional countries through various organizations, regional formats, and bilateral mechanisms, achieving notable progress in promoting mutual understanding and regional cooperation.
The statement added that Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes regional cooperation should be advanced by strengthening existing mechanisms and formats within the region.
Tehran is set to host the meeting next week, with special envoys from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia expected to attend.
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said during a visit to Khost province on Friday that any government which rules through fear cannot be considered a true government.
“A government is one that is loved by its people, one that serves them with respect and compassion, and from whose behavior people learn ethics and sincerity,” he said.
Haqqani also stressed that Afghans who opposed the Islamic Emirate in the past should be tolerated and treated in a way that helps eliminate hostility and animosity, paving the way for national cohesion.
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