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Pakistan extends residency for Afghan refugees

Refugee rights activists urged the Islamic Emirate to address the challenges faced by Afghan refugees in Pakistan…reports Asian Lite News

The caretaker government of Pakistan reportedly approved the extension of residency for 1.3 million undocumented Afghan refugees, as per TOLO News.

Abdul Jabar Takhari, the consulate of the Islamic Emirate in Karachi, informed TOLO news that the Pakistani government had issued a two-month deadline for the 1.4 million undocumented Afghan refugees.

Takhari stated, “According to the interim government of Pakistan, 1.4 million undocumented Afghan refugees still exist in Pakistan who have a deadline until the end of March to live in Pakistan and after that, either leave Pakistan or there will be a new plan for them.”

Refugee rights activists urged the Islamic Emirate to address the challenges faced by Afghan refugees in Pakistan, reported by TOLO News

Mohammd Khan Talibi Mohammadzai, a refugee rights activist, emphasized the importance of an organized plan for Afghan refugees, regarding the extension of their residency in Pakistan.

“Extension of residency of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is a good step but there is a need for an organized plan for the Afghan refugees,” said Mohammd Khan Talibi Mohammadzai

Meanwhile, the Afghan refugees in Pakistan complained about facing severe challenges in the country.

“They should not deport us; we will extend our visa and we will stay here,” said Nikzai, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan.

“The Afghan refugees are facing a lot of challenges in Afghanistan. They also face economic problems,” said Shaheen, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan.

According to statistics from the consulate of the Islamic Emirate in Pakistan, nearly 600,000 Afghan refugees have either been deported or voluntarily returned to Afghanistan within the last three months.

India nabs intruders

The Border Security Force (BSF) apprehended two illegal intruders along the Indo-Pakistan border in Punjab in two separate incidents.

In the first incident, the BSF Public Relations Officer, Punjab Frontier, said in a statement that on February 5, its troops apprehended an Afghan national crossing the International Border into Indian territory near a village in Gurdaspur district.

“Nothing objectionable has been recovered from his possession. The intruder was apprehended and handed over to the police for further investigation,” added the PRO statement.

In the second incident, a Pakistani national was apprehended near the international border in a village in Tarn Taran district.

“The intruder (16) identified himself as a resident of Punjab’s Kasur in Pakistan,” the PRO added.

One mobile phone and one Pakistani currency note of Rs 100 have been recovered from the accused, it added.

A day ago, BSF troops foiled a smuggling bid and apprehended one woman narcotics smuggler with prohibited Yaba tablets on the Indo-Bangladesh international border.

BSF, in a press release on Monday, said, “Acting on reliable input, on February 4 a special operation was launched. Vigilant troops of 90 Bn BSF apprehended one woman narcotic smuggler with 1000 Yaba tablets worth Rs 5 Lakh in the area of responsibility of BOP Gitaldah under Coochbehar district in West Bengal.

The BSF further said that the woman smuggler was apprehended when she was trying to smuggle prohibited Yaba tablets from India to Bangladesh.

On February 3, the BSF Meghalaya thwarted attempts to smuggle sugar across the Indo-Bangladesh border and recovered over 50,000 kgs of sugar intended for smuggling into Bangladesh, as per officials.

Keeping in view the vulnerability of the border and the heightened activities of drug traffickers and anti-national elements on the border, BSF troops are always on the alert to thwart trans-border crimes, including drug trafficking, and are making all-out efforts to prevent the commission of such crimes, the BSF added. (ANI)

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Taliban Demand Dignified Treatment of Afghan Refugees

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)

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Over 1200 Afghan Refugees Return To Kabul From Pakistan

In order to ensure that their medical requirements were swiftly met as part of the repatriation procedure, several returnees required medical treatment due to illness…reports Asian Lite News

Over 1,269 Afghan refugees, according to the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, arrived in their country from Pakistan on Wednesday via Spin Boldak in Kandahar province, reported Khaama Press.

Officials in Spin Boldak said that around 1,200 Afghan migrants had returned from Pakistan, with 116 former inmates having been freed from Karachi jails.

144 families willingly chose to return to Afghanistan as part of the repatriation initiative.

The returning Afghan migrants were referred to the offices of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees after registering and submitting the necessary paperwork for processing, Khaama Press reported.

These groups were crucial in helping the returning citizens with their adjustment and reintegration processes.

In order to ensure that their medical requirements were swiftly met as part of the repatriation procedure, several returnees required medical treatment due to illness.

According to sources, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation of Afghanistan estimates that 50,000 Afghan refugees had been returned to their country from Iran in the previous month, reported Khaama Press.

These refugees arrived in the nation via the Silk Road and the Islam Qala border crossing, according to information posted by the Ministry on its social media network X (previously Twitter).

Of these, 2,652 crossed the country through the Islam Qala border crossing while 46,838 refugees returned along the Silk Road. 569 of them have been forwarded to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for additional help.

This repatriation wave continues a rising trend of Afghan refugees being ejected from Iran and Pakistan or returning willingly.

The severe humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the escalating poverty levels have resulted in increased migration and challenges with regards to unemployment and residency issues in neighbouring nations. This has resulted in some migrants returning to Afghanistan voluntarily.

Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, the majority of Afghans have sought migration due to security reasons, prosecution, lack of job opportunities and the economic situation amid a severe humanitarian crisis in the country.

Earlier this month,  Afghan refugees in Pakistan expressed concern over continued detentions by the country’s police, Afghanistan-based TOLO News reported.

They said the Pakistani police asked them for bribes after arresting them. An Afghan refugee in Pakistan said, “The refugees who lack visas in Pakistan are being detained by the police. Some of these refugees have been returned to Afghanistan and some are being released based on money,” TOLO News reported.

The Afghan refugee said, “In recent times, the Pakistan police have been treating the Afghan refugees with improper conduct and they even search the houses of the people.”Taliban’s consul in Karachi, Abdul Jabar Takhari, said that more than 40 Afghan refugees have been released from prisons in the Sindh province of Pakistan.

Takhari said that the refugees had been arrested due to the lack of legal documents. He said, “Around 44 Afghans were released from various prisons in Sindh province of Pakistan and they have been taken to the country via Chaman,” according to TOLO News report. (ANI)

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