RASC News Agency: Pakistani authorities have intensified their campaign of detaining and expelling Afghanistani migrants, as evidenced by video footage shared by affected individuals. Afghanistani migrants warn that the worsening situation necessitates an urgent response from human rights organizations and the international community. On the morning of Thursday, February 6, Pakistani police conducted sweeping raids in various areas of Rawalpindi, including Kataria Market, detaining several Afghanistani migrants. Witnesses report that these operations are being carried out systematically, with law enforcement conducting door-to-door searches, further heightening fear and uncertainty within the migrant community.
Human rights activists have strongly condemned these mass arrests, describing them as a deliberate effort to pressure Afghanistani migrants into forced displacement. They have called upon the international community to intervene, emphasizing that Pakistan’s actions constitute a flagrant violation of international refugee and human rights laws. The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan has triggered a mass exodus, with millions fleeing the group’s oppressive rule, ethnic persecution, linguistic and gender-based discrimination, arbitrary detentions, and economic collapse. While many sought refuge in neighboring countries, the majority have ended up in Iran and Pakistan, where their fate now hangs in the balance.
Reports indicate that Western nations, under the pretext of evacuation and resettlement, airlifted thousands of Afghanistani citizens from Afghanistan, only to leave many stranded in legal limbo in Pakistan. As Pakistani authorities accelerate their crackdown, the uncertainty surrounding these migrants’ future deepens, raising grave concerns over their safety and the humanitarian implications of their forced return.
