<\/p>\n
Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Wednesday said Pakistan\u2019s decision to expel undocumented Afghan nationals was \u201cunacceptable\u201d and urged authorities to revisit the policy.<\/p>\n
The statement comes a day after the caretaker government gave an ultimatum<\/a> to all undocumented immigrants, including Afghan nationals, to leave Pakistan by October 31, or risk imprisonment and deportation to their respective countries.<\/p>\n The decision was taken in an apex committee meeting headed by Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and attended by the army chief, among others. The committee also decided that movement across the border would be subject to passports and visas, while electronic Afghan identity cards (or e-tazkiras) would only be accepted until Oct 31.<\/p>\n After the passage of the deadline, the authorities would kickstart an operation targeting illegal properties and businesses owned by immigrants or those being run in collaboration with Pakistani nationals.<\/p>\n In a statement posted on social media platform X (erstwhile Twitter) in both Urdu and English today, Mujahid said the treatment of Afghan refugees in Pakistan was unacceptable and authorities should revise their policy in this regard.<\/p>\n \u201cAfghan refugees are not involved in Pakistan\u2019s security problems,\u201d he stated, adding that as long as they leave Pakistan voluntarily, \u201cthat country should tolerate them\u201d.<\/p>\n The Pakistani Foreign Office has yet to issue a statement on this matter.<\/p>\n Around 1.3 million Afghans are registered refugees in Pakistan and 880,000 more have legal status to remain, according to the latest United Nations figures. However, the government claims that a further 1.7 million Afghans are in Pakistan illegally.<\/p>\n In addition to the Afghan spokesperson\u2019s criticism, the policy announcement has triggered concerns from several quarters.<\/p>\n In a post on X today, former PPP senator Farhatullah Babar said the government was \u201conce again playing football with refugees\u201d and \u201cmanipulating for some other objectives\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cDoomed to end in a backlash. Tripartite agreement allows only voluntary repatriation,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said the decision to evict foreign nations, which it said was allegedly because they had links to terrorist and criminal groups, reflected \u201cnot only an absence of compassion but also a myopic and narrow view of national security\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe large majority of such people are vulnerable Afghan refugees and stateless persons for whom Pakistan has been home for several generations,\u201d it said, adding that it was \u201cunfair\u201d to hold all accountable for the mistakes of a few.<\/p>\n The HRCP further stated that the decision contravened international human rights law and demanded it be reversed immediately.<\/p>\n A day earlier, the Afgha\u00adnistan Embassy in Islamabad accused Punjab and Sindh police of conducting a \u201cruthless\u201d operation against Afghan refugees, without distinguishing between genders and even arresting women and children.<\/p>\n In a statement<\/a> posted on X on Tuesday, Afghanistan\u2019s embassy said more than 1,000 Afghans have been detained in the past two weeks \u2014 half of them despite having a legal right to be in Pakistan.<\/p>\n Moreover, Amnesty Interna\u00adt\u00adional also called out<\/a> the Pakistani government for creating a space of \u2018fear\u2019 for refugees.<\/p>\n A United Nations official also opposed the deadline. \u201cAny refugee return must be voluntary and without any pressure to ensure protection for those seeking safe\u00ad\u00adty,\u201d Qaisar Khan Afridi, an official of the UN High Commis\u00adsioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told<\/a> Anadolu Agency<\/em>.<\/p>\n He said that the UNHCR was prepared to assist Pakistan in establishing a system for overseeing and recording individuals seeking international protection within its borders and addressing \u201cspecific vulnerabilities\u201d.<\/p>\n The discourse comes amid the state\u2019s crackdown on Afghan refugees.<\/p>\n