Deadline for Afghan Migrants in Pakistan Expires Tomorrow

A number of Afghan migrants in Pakistan expressed their concerns about the start of the second round of Afghan refugee deportations from Pakistan and the bitter experience of the first round, worrying them about the future.

The refugees say that all their businesses are in Pakistan and they are requesting the Pakistani government provide them with more time.

Atiqullah Mansoor, an Afghan migrant in Pakistan, said: “The fear among Afghan refugees is excessive, and many who have legal ACC and POR documents, due to bad memories from the first round, are ready to voluntarily return to their country.”

On the other hand, some representatives of refugees and refugee rights activists call the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan against all international norms.

Diba Nikzad, a civil activist, said: “We, who are migrants here are very worried and upset about the situation that is supposed to start tomorrow. We are asking the Pakistani government and the United Nations to attend to the cases of those who have them.”

“It is necessary for the authorities in power in Afghanistan and international organizations to take practical steps through relevant consultations to prevent the deportation of migrants,” Asefa Stanikzai, a migrant rights activist, said.

However, the consulate of the Islamic Emirate in Karachi is requesting that the government of Pakistan not deport migrants who have legal documents.

“Our request from the Pakistani government is that Afghans who hold ACC and POR cards should be allowed to live peacefully in Pakistan. If the decision of the Pakistani government is to expel them, a specific period should be determined for them,” said Abdul Jabbar Takhari, the consul of the Islamic Emirate in Karachi.

In the first phase of the deportation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan, about 600,000 Afghan migrants were deported from the country.