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UN rights experts call on Pakistan to stop removal process of Afghan refugees
The experts urged Islamabad to immediately stop mass internal relocations, deportations, arrests, evictions, intimidation and other pressures on Afghans
UN human rights experts have called on the Pakistan government to stop their plans to forcibly remove Afghans from the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, nor to deport them to Afghanistan.
According to a statement issued on Friday, the UN experts (as listed below) called on Pakistan to continue its important role as a neighboring country with a long history of hosting Afghan refugees.
The deadline for their voluntary departure was set for 31 March, but Islamabad moved the deadline by a few days to take Eid-ul-Fitr into account.
“Millions of Afghans in Pakistan are at risk of being pushed back to Afghanistan without regard for their genuine protection concerns – including gender-based violence and the systematic dismantling of the rights of women and girls – in violation of international human rights law and refugee law, and disregarding UNHCR’s non-return advisory,” the experts said.
“We urge Pakistan to immediately stop mass internal relocations, deportations, arrests, evictions, intimidation and other pressures on Afghans to cross the border into Afghanistan, and to uphold the absolute and non-derogable principle of non-refoulement,” they said.
The experts expressed particular concern about the gendered and intersectional impact.
The UN experts have repeatedly spoken out against Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan of September 2023, which has already pressured hundreds of thousands of Afghans to uproot their lives and return to Afghanistan.
Ahead of the 31 March deadline, the UN documented a worrying increase in arrests of Afghans. Many desperate Afghans have contacted the experts, fearing persecution by the Taliban in Afghanistan if they are forced to return.
“The most vulnerable are Afghan women, girls, LGBTI persons, ethnic and religious minorities, former government officials and security personnel, human rights defenders, and media workers,” the experts said.
“Children, especially unaccompanied, are at heightened risk of trafficking, child marriage and abuse, while persons with disabilities and older persons are also particularly vulnerable. They should all be individually assessed.”
The experts expressed concern about returns of Afghans to Afghanistan from other countries, potentially contravening international human rights and refugee law.
The experts also acknowledged security risks, including terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, as well as Pakistan.
The experts noted that many Afghans who had left for Pakistan, having been given reasonable expectations of being resettled in a third country, had their dreams of a secure future shattered by the sudden halt of resettlement programmes.
They stressed that funding cuts will reduce the ability of the de facto authorities in Afghanistan, together with humanitarian agencies, to support a large influx of people from neighboring countries.
“Abrupt and drastic funding cuts by donors are already having a severe impact on much-needed humanitarian assistance to Afghans,” the experts said.
“Given the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan, durable solutions are needed for Afghans outside the country, with strong support from the broader international community.”
The experts are as follows:
Richard Bennett, Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan; Siobhán Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Laura Nyirinkindi (Chair), Claudia Flores (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Ivana Krstić, and Haina Lu, Working group on discrimination against women and girls; Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences; and Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing.
Iranian officials have announced that a 200-member delegation, comprising Afghan government officials and private sector representatives, will attend the 7th International Exhibition of Iran’s Export Capabilities.
Officials from the Islamic Emirate, meanwhile, consider the presence of Afghan traders at this exhibition to be significant, stating that showcasing domestic products will help promote and market Afghan goods.
Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy, said: “Economic cooperation between the private and public sectors of Afghanistan and Iran is in the interest of both countries.”
“The visit of the high-ranking delegation of the Islamic Emirate to Iran can play a vital role in expanding economic and trade exchanges between the two countries,” he added.
In addition, Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) said that 80 booths have been allocated to Afghan traders at the exhibition, where agricultural products, precious stones, and other Afghan goods will be showcased.
Several experts also stated that Afghanistan’s participation in regional and international exhibitions is important and can lead to stronger economic ties with other countries.
This comes as Iran remains one of Afghanistan’s key economic partners, with annual trade volume between the two nations exceeding $3 billion.
Baganch Abdullayev, the General Director of the TAPI project in Afghanistan, on Thursday met with Noor Ahmad Islamjar, the governor of Herat, for a report back on progress made in accelerating the pipeline-laying process of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India project in the province.
The Herat governor’s press office said in a statement that Abdullayev shared a brief report on the progress of the TAPI project with Islamjar.
According to the statement, Abdullayev said so far 14 kms of pipeline has been laid while an additional 24 kms of ground has been levelled for the pipeline.
During the meeting, the governor of Herat also welcomed the efforts of TAPI project officials in advancing the work and assured the project head of the local administration’s full support in facilitating the swift progress of the project.
Once completed, TAPI pipeline will transport natural gas from the Galkynysh Gas Field in Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India.
The pipeline was completed on the Turkmenistan side in 2024, and the project is currently expanding southbound in Herat Province of Afghanistan.
The World Food Programme (WFP) this week issued an urgent appeal for $25 million to address the escalating needs of Afghan refugees being expelled from Pakistan.
According to the WFP, thousands of Afghan families are crossing into Afghanistan from Pakistan every day and face serious food insecurity.
The organization also stated that millions in Afghanistan are grappling with severe hunger, and immediate aid of $25 million is needed to assist returnees.
On Wednesday, April 23, in a video shared on X, WFP’s head in Afghanistan, Mutinta Chimuka, visited the Torkham border crossing with Pakistan. During her visit, she highlighted the challenges faced by returnees, many of whom have spent their entire lives in Pakistan and are unfamiliar with Afghanistan.
Chimuka pointed out that many returnees have no income, employment, food, or shelter.
The WFP stressed that thousands of families are being forced to leave Pakistan, while 15 million people in Afghanistan are uncertain where their next meal will come from. The situation has become dire, with basic needs going unmet for a large portion of the population, the WFP said.
Chimuka warned that current aid efforts are insufficient to support the returnees, and new financial resources are urgently needed to address their needs by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the pace of deportations and expulsions of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries, particularly Pakistan, continues to increase. The Pakistani Ministry of Interior reported that over 100,000 Afghan migrants have been returned since April 1.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has also raised alarm, noting that while thousands of refugees return every week, there are millions of Afghans who are currently facing poverty, homelessness, and difficult living conditions.
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