Amnesty International urges Pakistan to halt the expulsion of Afghan refugees
Amnesty International has called on Pakistan to stop the forced expulsion of Afghan migrants and refugees who have sought refuge in the country out of fear of the Taliban.
According to Amnesty International, citing statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are currently 3.7 million Afghans living in Pakistan, including about 600,000 who are human rights defenders, journalists, women activists, protesters, and individuals who fled Afghanistan fearing Taliban reprisals since August 2021.
The organization stated that at least 1.4 million Afghans are facing the risk of forced expulsion.
The interim government of Pakistan began a program in November of last year to forcibly expel over one million Afghans without legal documents from the country. According to Amnesty International, some of these individuals have been returned following arbitrary and illegal detentions, some families have been separated, and some individuals are being held in newly established detention centers, deprived of access to family, lawyers, and the media.