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US urges Pakistan to fulfill obligations towards Afghan refugees
U.S. Department of State has called on all Afghanistan’s neighboring countries, including Pakistan to act according to their obligations in dealing with Afghan refugees and asylum seekers.
Speaking in a press conference on Wednesday, the spokesman of the state Matthew Miller said in response to a question that these countries must respect the “the principle of non-refoulement”.
"So, we join all of our partners in urging every state, including Pakistan, to uphold their respective obligations in their treatment of refugees and asylum [seekers], and to respect the principle of non-refoulement. We strongly encourage Afghanistan’s neighbors, including Pakistan, to allow entry for Afghans seeking international protection and to coordinate with international humanitarian organizations to provide humanitarian assistance," said Miller.
This comes after the deadline set by the government of Pakistan for Afghan immigrants having no legal documents in that country ended on Tuesday.
The Interior Minister of the caretaker government of Pakistan, Sarfraz Bugti, has said that the process of arresting all illegal immigrants throughout Pakistan will begin on Thursday.
Bugti said that illegal immigrants will first be transferred to the designated centers, and then they will be deported from those centers to their country.
In response, the Islamic Emirate has said that the forced deportation of Afghan immigrants from Pakistan is against all international standards.
Sardar Ahmed Shakib, Chargé d'Affaires of the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad, in an interview with Ariana News, called the forced deportation of Afghan immigrants a hasty and arbitrary decision by Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Richard Bennett, the special rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council for Afghanistan, in a post on X once again asked the government of Pakistan to stop deporting Afghan refugees from that country.
“I repeat my call on Pakistan to avoid yet another crisis for Afghans by cancelling their plans for mass deportations to Afghanistan. Bennett said, adding that “I am continuing to advocate for the rights of Afghans in every way possible, including with Pakistan's authorities.”
On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) asked Pakistan to cancel the forced return of Afghan refugees. HRW has said that the Pakistani government is forcing Afghan immigrants without legal documents to return to Afghanistan by threatening, harassing and arresting them.
Eleven people have been killed in a shooting at a shrine in Afghanistan’s northern Baghlan province, local sources said on Friday.
The incident took place at 9 pm on Thursday at the shrine of Sayed Padsha Jan in Shahr-e-Kuhna of Nahrin district.
A local resident said the dead were residents of Nahrin district and wanted to spend the night at the shrine.
Asadullah Mustafa Hashemi, the provincial information and culture director, confirmed the incident but did not provide details on how it happened or the number of casualties.
Provincial police spokesman said they had not received any information about the incident yet.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Serdar Muhammetdurdiyev on Thursday met with Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan announced.
During the meeting, the sides discussed priority vectors of strategic interstate cooperation built on a long-term, mutually beneficial basis, as well as exchanged views on the implementation of previously reached agreements.
It was noted that personal contacts between the leaders of the two countries play a key role in intensifying the interstate dialogue, which give a strong impulse to further development and expansion of Turkmen-Chinese ties.
It was emphasized that Turkmenistan considers multilateral international platforms for maintaining stability in Afghanistan as an important factor in promoting sustainable improvement of socio-economic state of the neighboring country. The sides exchanged views on the preparations to the 5th meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring States to be held in Turkmenistan.
The interlocutors reaffirmed that Turkmenistan and China will continue to provide all-round support for the economic restoration of Afghanistan.
The U.S. House Of Representatives has passed a legislation on evacuation of Afghans who assisted Americans during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
“The passage of the CARE Authorization Act of 2024 further underscores the commitment made by the U.S. government to safeguard those who served shoulder-to-shoulder with our personnel during the twenty-year mission in Afghanistan,” Congresswoman Dina Titus said in a statement.
“The State Department has made it clear: There is no deadline for the crucial job of protecting Afghan allies. By authorizing the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts at the State Department, we can more effectively relocate and resettle those who have qualified to immigrate to the U.S. as a result of their service to this country.”
In 2022 the State Department established a specialized office called the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) to streamline and coordinate the ongoing relocation and resettlement process for eligible Afghans from Afghanistan and Pakistan to the United States.
The CARE Authorization Act of 2024 will formally authorize the CARE office at the State Department for three years and grant important authorities to advance its mission. These include an extension of authorities to enter into personal services contracts as well as measures to streamline the transfer of funds to and from other agencies involved in the Afghan relocation mission.
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