In light of the mass deportations in Pakistan, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressed concern about the treatment of Afghan refugees. He today expressed alarm at reports that the displacement of Afghans is accompanied by ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests and detention, destruction of property and personal belongings, and extortion.
The UN human rights office in Geneva said it had received reports from Afghans who accused Pakistani authorities of arbitrary and abusive behavior. According to authorities, more than 300,000 Afghans left the country under pressure from the deportation campaign in Pakistan.
1.7 million undocumented people
The Pakistani government announced in early October that it would deport refugees without residency status and gave them until November 1 to leave the country voluntarily. According to government data, around 4.4 million Afghan refugees live in the country, 1.7 million of them without valid documents.
In the statement, the UN Human Rights Office also spoke of complaints that even registered Afghans are not safe – contrary to what was announced by Pakistani authorities. “These new developments contradict Pakistan’s decades-old tradition of generously accepting Afghan refugees in large numbers,” Türk emphasized.
In previous weeks, human rights activists had already complained about the harsh actions taken by Pakistani authorities against Afghan refugees. Some Afghan refugees have lived in the country for decades.