RASC News Agency: Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia has condemned the arbitrary arrests and harassment of Afghanistani migrants and asylum seekers by Pakistan’s police. In an official statement, Babu Ram Pant described these measures as part of a broader “systemic and discriminatory policy targeting Afghanistani nationals within Pakistan.” He further emphasized that the Pakistani government has repeatedly enacted unilateral policies that worsen the precarious circumstances of Afghanistani refugees in the country.
The statement read: “Nighttime police raids, harassment, and arbitrary arrests of hundreds of Afghanistani refugees, including women and children, in the nation’s capital are elements of a larger discriminatory strategy against Afghanistani nationals. The imposition of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) requirement on Afghanistani refugees in Islamabad places significant additional restrictions on them, compounding the already burdensome documentation requirements.” The statement also revealed that Pakistan has forcibly deported thousands of Afghanistani nationals over the past 15 months. Amnesty International expressed deep concern that these latest actions expose an already vulnerable population to even greater risks.
“Pakistani authorities’ actions are sweeping and arbitrary, leading to the harassment and detention of refugees, even those with valid documentation and visas,” the statement continued. “Under international human rights law, all refugees and asylum seekers, regardless of their documentation status, are entitled to fair legal processes and protection from forced deportation.” Amnesty International urged Pakistan to fulfill its international obligations, including adherence to the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the forced return of individuals to countries where they may face persecution.
The organization called for “immediate action” to release all detainees and abolish the NOC policy. This statement comes amidst reports of house-to-house inspections by police, with Afghanistani migrants recounting widespread fear and displacement. Images obtained by Amu News depict migrants seeking refuge in public parks, fearing arrest by Pakistani authorities. Despite these developments, some Afghanistani migrants report continued harassment by police despite possessing valid legal documentation. The Afghanistani embassy in Islamabad, currently under Taliban administration, informed Amu News that in the past eight days, Pakistani police have detained more than 1,000 Afghanistani migrants in the capital.
