Pakistan is oppressing Afghan citizens, arrested even after having visa; Taliban enraged over the matter

Obnews Desk: The Afghanistan Embassy has expressed concern over the detention of about 800 Afghan citizens in Pakistan. According to the embassy, ​​some citizens were detained and deported without reason due to confusion over documentation.

These 800 Afghan citizens also include those who had valid visas, registration cards (POR) and Afghan citizen cards (ACC).

Appeal for immediate solution

Regarding the matter, the Embassy of Afghanistan has said that they are receiving reports of incidents of unnecessary arrest of Afghan citizens, searches of houses and extortion of money, which are a cause of concern for them. The embassy has appealed to the Pakistan government to immediately resolve these problems. This message was posted on the social media platform X on the night of 6 January 2024.

So many citizens were taken into custody

At present, there has been no official response from the Pakistan government on the embassy's claim. The embassy said that about 800 Afghan nationals who have valid visas, registration cards and Afghan citizen cards have been detained in Islamabad. The embassy expressed concern that “people are being arbitrarily detained and deported due to lack of clarity on the conditions for obtaining NOC.”

Click here to read other foreign news!

At the same time, there are 137 deported people who have applied for renewal of their visas. Some of these people are temporarily registered by SHARP (Society for Human Rights and Prisoners Aid) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). SHARP works closely with UNHCR in Pakistan.

appealed for immediate help

Pakistan had started the process of repatriating Afghan refugees from the end of 2023, considering them a strain on its economy. In July 2024, Filippo Grandi, head of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and discussed the situation of refugees. Currently, millions of Afghan refugees are in uncertainty as Pakistan plans to deport undocumented foreigners. On the other hand, due to the seriousness of the matter, an appeal has been made to human rights organizations and UNHCR for immediate help.

appeal to the world

Sharif has appealed to the world to understand the increasing burden of Afghan refugees on Pakistan and jointly take responsibility to solve it. Along with this, Pakistan also said that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), associated with the Afghan Taliban, has become a major threat to the security of the country.