Amnesty calls for 'immediate cancellation' of plan to expel Afghan migrants from Pakistan

Kabul [Afghanistan], April 5 : Amnesty International has called for an 'immediate cancellation' of a plan to expel the Afghan migrants from Pakistan, and stated that it violates international human rights laws, reported TOLOnews.
The plan of expulsion of Afghan refugees, according to a statement made by one of the organization's activists for refugees and migrants, breaches international human rights laws, international refugee laws, and all international conventions.
"The Pakistan authorities' callous disregard for the persecution, serious human rights violations and humanitarian catastrophe that await Afghan refugees if deported to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is heart-breaking. Instead of heeding repeated global calls to halt deportations, the newly elected Pakistani government has disappointingly now extended the deportation drive to Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders as well," said James Jennion, according to TOLOnews.
However, the consulate of the Islamic Emirate in Pakistan has also announced the release and return of more than fifty Afghan migrants.
The Taliban's acting consul in Karachi, Pakistan, Sayed Abdul Jabbar Takhari, stated: "We currently have about fifty detainees in the prisons of Sindh state." There are continuous efforts to secure their freedom and expedite their return to their homeland."
Afghan migrants in Pakistan are concerned about their unclear future as the second wave of expulsion of Afghan migrants is about to begin in the country.
They object to the Pakistani police detaining and abusing Afghan migrants.
Stanikzai, an Afghan migrant in Pakistan, said: "This is an injustice to us. Whatever agency does this, whether the Pakistani government or the Afghan government, it's an injustice. Our request from everyone is to show mercy on us, we want to return to our homeland at the right time," according to TOLOnews.
Meanwhile, Shinwari, another Afghan migrant in Pakistan, said, "This is bad news for Afghan migrants because our businesses are here, and we cannot wrap everything up in a short time."
The first phase of expelling undocumented Afghan migrants from Pakistan began in November 2023, whereas the second phase, under the name of the 'repatriation plan' which also includes those holding citizenship cards, is set to start on April 10, according to TOLOnews.
Human rights organisations and Afghanistan both criticised the action, but the government stood its own and insisted that it was not directed at any one ethnic community.
Earlier, the United Nations had also called on Pakistan to halt the deportation exercise.
Meanwhile, human rights activists and journalists reported that the mistreatment is part of a campaign to compel Afghans to leave the country.
Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, thousands of Afghans fled Afghanistan to the neighbouring countries fearing persecution and death threats.
The majority of these people entered host countries through illegal channels, now facing serious problems including forceful deportation and imprisonment.