RASC News Agency: Reports indicate that Donald Bloom, the American ambassador in Islamabad, recently met with Jalil Abbas Jilani, the interim foreign minister of Pakistan. During this meeting, the American official once again emphasized the importance of safely evacuating qualified Afghanistani refugees to the United States. The ministry published a statement on Tuesday, January 2nd, highlighting the discussions between the two sides regarding the situation of Afghanistani refugees eligible for evacuation to the United States currently residing in Pakistan. This meeting took place in response to concerns about the forced expulsion of these asylum seekers from Pakistan.
It has been announced by Islamabad that Afghanistani refugees eligible for resettlement in the United States and facing threats in Afghanistan will not be expelled from Pakistan. However, there have been reports of Pakistani police forces forcibly expelling a number of these refugees from the country. Reuters recently reported that at least 130 Afghanistani refugees, who were under threat from the Taliban and awaiting evacuation to the United States, were arrested by Pakistani police forces and repatriated to Afghanistan.
Despite several American officials urging Pakistan to halt the forced expulsion of Afghanistani refugees, particularly those awaiting evacuation to the United States, the situation remains concerning. Repatriation to Afghanistan would mean being under the control of the Taliban and facing further threats for these individuals. Currently, thousands of former colleagues of the American military in Afghanistan and individuals under threat have sought refuge in Pakistan since the Taliban’s takeover. However, even after two years, they have not been successful in obtaining humanitarian visas from the United States.
