RASC News Agency: In a recent press conference convened in Islamabad on December 8th, Sarfaraz Bugti, the interim interior minister of Pakistan, addressed the escalating issue of forced deportations affecting Afghanistani immigrants in the country. Bugti disclosed that over the past two months, an estimated 482,000 Afghanistani citizens lacking valid documents had been forcibly repatriated to their home country. This marked surge in deportations has sparked apprehensions regarding the plight of Afghanistani refugees in Pakistan.
Within the press conference, Mr. Bugti further conveyed Pakistan’s decision to deport ten Afghanistani citizens who, despite legal residency, were engaged in political activities. However, he refrained from disclosing their identities or providing specific details about their political involvement. The interior minister underscored that political activities within the country are reserved exclusively for Pakistani citizens, and any foreign national participating in such endeavors would face immediate expulsion.
As the wave of forced deportations persists, indications suggest an impending crisis in Afghanistan, presently under the governance of the Taliban group. The Afghanistani people are already grappling with myriad economic and humanitarian challenges, and the influx of deported refugees is poised to exacerbate these issues. Emphasizing that Pakistan has hosted Afghanistani immigrants for the past four decades, the interior minister asserted that, ultimately, all Afghanistani immigrants must repatriate to their home country.
Since November 1, Pakistani police have been apprehending and expelling Afghanistani asylum seekers. Simultaneously, Iran and Turkey are also enforcing the expulsion of Afghanistani refugees. Meanwhile, upon their return to Afghanistan, these displaced individuals confront a dire and precarious situation.
