Photo taken on Nov. 30, 2021 shows the site of a blast in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. (Photo by Aria/Xinhua/IANS)
Security forces have reached the site of the blast and initiated an investigation, the official added as quoted by Xinhua news agency report…reports Asian Lite News
Seven people were killed and 20 others injured as a blast rocked the Dasht-e-Barchi area of Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, Kabul’s police spokesman Khalid Zadran said.
The blast ripped through a mini-bus on Tuesday evening, claiming the lives of seven civilians and injuring 20 others, Zadran said, adding that all the victims were civilians.
Security forces have reached the site of the blast and initiated an investigation, the official added as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.
On October 26, a blast in the area destroyed a sports club and killed four people, for which the terror group Islamic State later claimed responsibility.
Pakistan’s caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said that Pakistan was determined to go ahead with a plan to remove all undocumented immigrants after the assigned date….reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan has been continuously issuing warnings to Afghan refugees, who are residing overtly within its borders and urged them to return to disrupted Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, the Afghan Diaspora Network reported.
These Afghan refugees fled their homeland to escape ceaseless violence, misery and crime, and are now facing Pakistan’s expulsion.
The Pakistani military’s approach is often marked by a complex strategy that differentiates between “Good Taliban” and “Bad Taliban”, along with relentless military operations in the Pashtun-dominated tribal regions along the Durand Line, reported Afghan Diaspora Network.
Notably, the then Pakistani government was one of the first to extend congratulations to the Taliban as they took over Kabul, and then Prime Minister Imran Khan described it as “breaking the chains of slavery.”
However, terrorism still poses a persistent challenge and as Pakistan is unable to combat terrorism effectively, its government has now turned its focus towards the vulnerable Afghan refugee population.
Moreover, Pakistan on October 26 gave a last warning to all immigrants in the country illegally, together with hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals, to leave voluntarily before November 1.
Pakistan’s caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said that Pakistan was determined to go ahead with a plan to remove all undocumented immigrants after the assigned date.
The decision comes after Afghan nationals were found to be involved in crimes, smuggling and attacks against the government and the military, including 14 out of 24 suicide bombings this year, reported the Afghan Diaspora Network.
“All the illegal immigrants have been identified. The state has a complete data,” Bugti said.
Many destitute Afghans sought refuge in Pakistan after several tumultuous decades marked by the Soviet invasion, subsequent civil wars, and the United States-led occupation
Since the Taliban takeover, an estimated 600,000 Afghans have crossed the border, including women and girls who were trying to escape targeted persecution and the systematic erosion of their fundamental rights within Afghanistan, according to the Afghan Diaspora Network.
These Afghan refugees found themselves trapped in a precarious predicament and remained unable to secure legal status within Pakistan and are now facing the prospects of returning to Afghanistan by perilous instability.
The Taliban have been relentless in bringing draconian edicts affecting the participation of women in life.
The plight of these Afghan refugees in Pakistan highlights an urgency of addressing and acknowledging the broader humanitarian and human rights dimensions of the Afghan crisis, Afghan Diaspora Network.
It signifies the need for international organizations to involve and support the suffering of those who have been forced to flee from their homeland.
Before the forced expulsion by Pakistan, approximately 1.73 million Afghans had been living within its borders yet remained in a state of limbo without the formal recognition of refugee status.
A majority of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, which makes nearly two-thirds, live beyond the confines of formal refugee camps.
According to the Afghan Diaspora Network, within this diverse population, there exists a dire need for a range of essential provisions, including shelter, sustainable livelihoods, access to healthcare, and other indispensable forms of support.
Moreover, these Afghan refugees were returning from Pakistan into Afghanistan via two principal points of entry: The Spin Boldak border, located in Southern Kandahar province, and the Torkham border, situated in Eastern Nangarhar province.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) underscored the scale of this movement and stated that a tally of 84,000 Afghan returnees have crossed these border checkpoints, excluding those who were involuntarily repatriated.
In September, the number saw a significant rise, with 14,807 undocumented Afghans returning from Pakistan through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings.
However, the figure nearly doubled the return rate observed in the preceding month of August, when a significant 7578 Afghans returned.
Meanwhile, official sources said that plans have been put in motion to establish special deportation centres in all four provinces of Pakistan: Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Reportedly, Afghan individuals detained in Punjab and Sindh will be transferred to centres located in the Rawalpindi and Karachi districts, respectively. Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be home to two deportation centres in Chamkani and Nowshera, and Balochistan will accommodate three such facilities, with one in the provincial capital of Quetta, and the others in the districts of Qilla Abdullah and Pishin, reported Afghan Diaspora Network.
These distressing decisions and Pakistan’s move to deport Afghan refugees have drawn criticism from International organizations and governments.
According to the latest United Nations data, approximately 1 million Afghan refugees are officially registered in Pakistan, and an additional 880,000 have been granted legal status to stay.
Earlier in October, Amnesty International stated, “They are living incredibly precarious lives where they are either having to undergo arduous processes for registering as refugees in Pakistan or are stuck in lengthy processes waiting to obtain relocation to another country. A forced return to Afghanistan could put them at grave risk.”
Moreover, the UN’s refugee and migration agencies said that the UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration on October 7, together appealed to Islamabad to continue protecting those who sought safety in the country and could be “at imminent risk if forced to return”.
The agencies further warned, “The forced repatriation of Afghan nationals has the potential to result in severe human rights violations, including the separation of families and deportation of minors”.
Meanwhile, the UK is trying to aid the Afghan refugees, at the verge of forceful expulsion. Reportedly, on October 27, the first plane bringing Afghan refugees from Pakistan to the UK was landed, Afghan Diaspora Network reported.
Moreover, the US has also been engaged in high-level diplomatic discussions in Pakistan to address concerns related to Afghan refugees on the verge of mass deportation. (ANI)
The UN Secretary General’s Spokesman, Stephane Dujarric has also appealed to Pakistan to continue its protection of all “vulnerable” Afghans who sought safety in the country, reported TOLO News…reports Asian Lite News
Amid the deadline for Afghans to voluntarily return expired on October 31, Pakistan’s Punjab province administration has shifted over 2500 undocumented Afghans to transit camp from various parts of Attock for deportation, ARY News reported on Sunday.
According to deputy commissioner Attock, 2,500 illegal Afghan immigrants have been shifted to the transit camp during the biometric verification of the illegal foreigners staying in the district.
The Pakistan-based media outlet reported that Caretaker Minister for Interior Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti has directed the authorities concerned to formulate a comprehensive strategy for the repatriation of foreigners residing illegally in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund said that the Pakistan’s action is against international laws, reported TOLO News.
PM Akhund in a video message, appealed Pakistan to not “expel Afghans in an undignified manner, to not harass Afghans and to give them sufficient time so that they can return in a dignified manner.”
“If their (Pakistan) reason is to expel undocumented migrants only, then why are they humiliating the refugees, stealing their property, and destroying their houses?” he added.
He warned Pakistan of further consequences of the mistreatment of Afghan refugees, TOLO News reported.”You (Pakistan) are a neighbour, you should think about the future,” he stressed.
Earlier, US National Security spokesperson John Kirby said that Washington wants to see all nations do “what they can to help refugees and asylum seekers.”
The UN Secretary General’s Spokesman, Stephane Dujarric has also appealed to Pakistan to continue its protection of all “vulnerable” Afghans who sought safety in the country, reported TOLO News.
This comes as the Pakistan caretaker government announced October 31 as the deadline for Afghan refugees to leave the country. The deadline called for nearly 2 million Afghan refugees to leave Pakistan or face forced deportation.
However, the decision sparked global criticisms with many human rights organizations calling on Islamabad to reverse the planned action, according to TOLO News.
Moreover, many Afghan refugees complained about mistreatment by Pakistan’s police while being deported.
Abdul Rahim Mahajar, an Afghan refugee, said, “These people are being very cruel to us. If they had given us 4 or 5 months more, we could have spent the winter here in comfort.”
“Then, God willing, we would have gone back to our country,” another Afghan refugee said.
Earlier on Friday, Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed acting Defense Minister Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid has criticized the Pakistan caretaker government’s treatment of Afghan refugees.
Mujahid in an audio clip, called on the Pakistan government to not “be cruel to the Afghans, not seize their personal property and assets.” (ANI)
The two sides also plan to form several more working groups tasked with identifying problems in the way of economic cooperation between the two neighbors…reports Asian Lite News
The Iranian and Afghan representatives to the commission held the first day of their meeting on Saturday, with high-ranking economic officials of both countries being in attendance.
The formation of joint working groups in fields such as trade, transit, transportation, customs and the environment is on the agenda of the meeting.
The two sides also plan to form several more working groups tasked with identifying problems in the way of economic cooperation between the two neighbors.
Afghanistan’s delegation arrived in Iran earlier on Saturday. The 30-member delegation is led by Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of the Taliban government Abdul Ghani Baradar. (IRNA) Â
PM Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund appealed Pakistan to not “expel Afghans in an undignified manner, to not harass Afghans and to give them sufficient time so that they can return in a dignified manner.”
As Pakistan announced to expel nearly 2 million Afghan refugees, Afghanistan Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund said that the action is against international laws, reported TOLO News.
PM Akhund in a video message, appealed Pakistan to not “expel Afghans in an undignified manner, to not harass Afghans and to give them sufficient time so that they can return in a dignified manner.”
“If their (Pakistan) reason is to expel undocumented migrants only, then why are they humiliating the refugees, stealing their property, and destroying their houses?” he added.
He further warned Pakistan of further consequences of the mistreatment of Afghan refugees, TOLO News reported.
“You (Pakistan) are a neighbour, you should think about the future,” he stressed.
Earlier, US National Security spokesperson John Kirby said that Washington wants to see all nations do “what they can to help refugees and asylum seekers.”
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary General’s Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the UN is appealing to Pakistan to continue its protection of all “vulnerable” Afghans who sought safety in the country, reported TOLO News.
This comes as the Pakistan caretaker government announced October 31 as the deadline for Afghan refugees to leave the country.
The deadline called for nearly 2 million Afghan refugees to leave Pakistan or they will face forced deportation.
However, the decision sparked global criticisms with many human rights organizations calling on Islamabad to reverse the planned action, according to TOLO News.
Moreover, many Afghan refugees complained about mistreatment by Pakistan’s police while being deported.
Abdul Rahim Mahajar, an Afghan refugee, said, “These people are being very cruel to us. If they had given us 4 or 5 months more, we could have spent the winter here in comfort.”
“Then, God willing, we would have gone back to our country,” another Afghan refugee said.
Earlier on Friday, Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed acting Defense Minister Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid has criticized the Pakistan caretaker government’s treatment of Afghan refugees.
Mujahid in an audio clip, called on the Pakistan government to not “be cruel to the Afghans, not seize their personal property and assets.” (ANI)
The Ministry of Economy emphasised the necessity for the international community to remove the restrictions imposed on the economic sector for economic progress in the country…reports Asian Lite News
In its latest monthly report known as the “Afghanistan Economic Monitor,” the World Bank has noted that half of all Afghans are living in poverty, as reported by Tolo News on Thursday.
According to the report, total exports amounted to USD 1.3 billion from January to September 2023, marking a slight decrease of 0.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2022. Pakistan remains Afghanistan’s largest export market, accounting for 55 per cent of total exports, followed by India at 29 per cent.
The report further reveals that imports reached USD 5.7 billion, showing a 27 per cent growth. Khairuddin Maiel, deputy of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, commented, “Certainly, in these nine months, our exports have decreased, and the reason for the decrease is that we did not export coal from the country, and secondly, we had these problems at the borders with our neighbours.”
Simultaneously, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the c (WFP) issued a joint statement warning that acute food insecurity is likely to deteriorate further in 18 hunger hotspots, comprising a total of 22 countries, Tolo News reported.
Economist Sayar Qurishi highlighted, “One of the main reasons why Afghanistan’s economy is in the current situation is that after the fall of the republic and the suspension of international aid, unfortunately, the economy has shrunk by 25% in the last two years.”
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the World Food Programme issued a joint statement warning that acute food insecurity is likely to deteriorate further in 18 hunger hotspots, comprising a total of 22 countries, Tolo News reported.
The Ministry of Economy emphasised the necessity for the international community to remove the restrictions imposed on the economic sector for economic progress in the country. Abdul Latif Nazari, deputy of the Ministry of Economy, stated, “Our demand from the international community is not to make the people of Afghanistan suffer and for the economic progress and development of Afghanistan. The removal of restrictions and obstacles is a necessity.”
Previously, the World Bank had reported that Afghanistan’s economy had stagnated and the unemployment rate in the country had doubled after the establishment of the Islamic Emirates, Tolo News reported. (ANI)
More than 150,000 Afghan refugees have returned home from Pakistan via Torkham over the past few days…reports Asian Lite News
The Taliban regime in Kabul announced that it will build shelters for the hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees returning home from Pakistan after the neighbouring country formulated a phase-wise process for the expulsion of the undocumented migrants.
Acting Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Khalil Rahman Haqqani instructed the construction of shelters during his recent visit to the Torkham crossing point which borders Pakistan, Xinhua news agency quoted a local media outlet as saying in a report.
More than 150,000 Afghan refugees have returned home from Pakistan via Torkham over the past few days, the report said.
More than 200,000 Afghan refugees, with the majority of them via Torkham border town and some via Spin Boldak and other crossing points, have reportedly returned to their homeland over the past month.
The Taliban regime’s chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post on X that authorities in Torkham are preparing 10,000 lunches and 30,000 dinners for the returnees on Thursday.
In an unprecendented move, Pakistan decided to send back 1.7 million undocumented Afghan refugees to their homeland after decades of stay in the host country, while the Taliban regime has urged Islamabad to reconsider the decision.
The deadline for the refugees to leave Pakistan ended on November 1.
Meanwhile, a crackdown is underway across Pakistan to round up hundreds of undocumented Afghan refugees who still remain in the country.
Pakistan has ignored calls from the UN, rights groups and western countries to reconsider its rigid decision and has maintained that it is doing what it has to amid security concerns.
Rights organisations have termed the decision of the Pakistan government to expel the undocumented Afghas as unprecedented, uncalled for and unjustified.
They say Afghans who have been living in Pakistan for decades, are now facing collateral punishment for strained ties and growing rivalry between the Taliban and the Islamabad government.
Many Afghans fled to Pakistan during its decades of internal conflict since the late 1970s, while the Taliban takeover in 2021 led to another mass exodus.
The Taliban spokesperson said Afghans have been forced to migrate to various countries due to the wars over the past 45 years in Afghanistan….reports Asian Lite News
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has called on countries hosting Afghan refugees to not forcefully deport them as the migrants do not have any preparation for it yet. Mujahid also called for tolerance based on Islamic and neighbourly manners, TOLO News reported.
The Taliban spokesperson said Afghans have been forced to migrate to various countries due to the wars over the past 45 years in Afghanistan.
As per Mujahid’s statement, Afghans have not created problems or destabilization in host countries. He urged neighbouring countries to treat them properly, TOLO News reported.
This comes as the Pakistan caretaker government announced October 31 as the deadline for Afghan refugees to leave the country.
The deadline called for nearly 2 million Afghan refugees to leave Pakistan or they will face forced deportation.
“The Afghans who are being forcefully deported, their materials, money and other property are their personal property and no one has the right to seize it from them and impose unfair and unjust conditions on them,” the statement read.
The statement called on Afghan traders to cooperate with the commission established to help the refugees. It also instructed the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and other relevant ministries to provide necessary facilities for the traders and industrial owners who are returning home.
The Taliban urged Afghans who are in exile due to political concerns to return, saying that they can live their lives in calmness in Afghanistan.
Amid forced expulsion by Pakistan, a group of Afghan refugees on Monday started a protest outside the office of the United Nations Human Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Islamabad, according to Khaama Press.
Over 1.7 million undocumented migrants in Pakistan were given until November 1 to depart by the country’s temporary administration, less than a month ago. Pakistan issued a warning to migrants, threatening to arrest and deport them if they do not leave the nation.
The protest, which took place on Monday, was launched by defence lawyers, journalists, human rights activists, and individuals vulnerable to the Taliban, who argued that the UNHCR hasn’t properly examined their cases over the last two years, Khaama Press reported.
The protesters asserted that Afghan migrants are not granted visas by the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul, and the UNHCR is not willing to give them proper papers that would shield them from abuse by Pakistani authorities.
Worrying that leaving Pakistan will expose them to the violations of human rights by the Taliban, the Afghan refugees continue to remain in a difficult position. Moreover, according to Khaama Press, the lawyers for Afghan women also accused the UNHCR of failing to act in response to the demonstrations. (ANI)
The protest, which took place on Monday, was launched by defence lawyers, journalists, human rights activists, and individuals …reports Asian Lite News
Amid the deadline set by the Pakistan government to expel undocumented migrants from the country, a group of Afghan refugees started a protest outside the office of the United Nations Human Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Islamabad, according to Khaama Press.
Over 1.7 million undocumented migrants in Pakistan were given until November 1 to depart by the country’s temporary administration, less than a month ago. Pakistan issued a warning to migrants, threatening to arrest and deport them if they do not leave the nation.
The protest, which took place on Monday, was launched by defence lawyers, journalists, human rights activists, and individuals vulnerable to the Taliban, who argued that the UNHCR hasn’t properly examined their cases over the last two years, Khaama Press reported.
The protesters asserted that Afghan migrants are not granted visas by the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul, and the UNHCR is not willing to give them proper papers that would shield them from abuse by Pakistani authorities.
Worrying that leaving Pakistan will expose them to the violations of human rights by the Taliban, the Afghan refugees continue to remain in a difficult position. Moreover, according to Khaama Press, the lawyers for Afghan women also accused the UNHCR of failing to act in response to the demonstrations.
Recently, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, stated that the government had no plans to extend the deadline, saying, “We talked about expelling illegal residents, but the message was conveyed as if we were only expelling Afghans, Khaama Press reported. The government’s message was not just for Afghans; it was for all illegal migrants.”
Despite facing pressure from various nations to reconsider its decision regarding the deportation of illegal immigrants living in the country, Pakistan remains resolute and is unwilling to change its stance, Pakistan-based The Express Tribune reported. (ANI)
The closure of schools is primarily affecting Afghan girls in Pakistan as it may mark the end of their education for the foreseeable future…reports Asian Lite News
Following Pakistan’s decision to expel nearly 1.7 million foreign nationals, primarily Afghans, schools teaching Afghan children in Pakistan have started closing their doors for them, reported Khaama Press.
The closure of schools is primarily affecting Afghan girls in Pakistan as it may mark the end of their education for the foreseeable future.
Leading to this, many of these Afghan women are forced to return to Afghanistan, where the Taliban government has already prohibited them from accessing secondary education.
The Pakistani government initiated an extensive crackdown on the estimated 1.7 million Afghans residing in the country without legal status, leaving them until October 31 to leave or face mass arrests, Khaama Press reported.
Sixteen-year-old Nargis Rezaei, along with her family, sought refuge in Pakistan in August 2021 when the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan and said, “We came here to be educated, to have a good life.”
“Not every Afghan wants to return to Afghanistan, especially girls who have minimal freedom there,” she added.
The fear of deportation has led to a significant drop in school attendance and a two-third decrease in enrollment, which has resulted in the closure of these schools, according to Khaama Press.
Moreover, the United Nations (UN) reported a significant rush of Afghan migrants into Pakistan since the Taliban’s takeover, with at least 600,000 individuals crossing the border.
Reportedly, the mass deportation shows the dire situation in Afghanistan, as they have been forced to take refugee for their safety in neighbouring countries like Pakistan due to the uncertainty and instability.
This calls for the urgent need for humanitarian assistance and international support to address the needs of Afghan migrants, who are left with no other choice but to flee from their homeland in search of security and a better future, reported Khaama Press.
As many as 86,000 undocumented Afghan nationals have so far returned to their country while one hundred and forty-nine families returned to Afghanistan in one hundred and seventy-four trucks during the last twenty-four hours.
Since October, Pakistan’s interim government issued a deadline of November 1 for over 1.7 million undocumented migrants in the country to depart.
The strict warning by the Pakistan government implied that those who fail to comply with this ultimatum may face imprisonment and deportation.
According to Khaama Press, as the deadline approaches, reports revealed that a sense of fear and apprehension has intensified among the migrant community in Pakistan. (ANI)
