Latest news with #IllegalForeignersRepatriationPlan
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Afghan refugees risk billions in losses
Afghan refugees arrive from Pakistan at the border in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province on December 3, 2023. PHOTO: AFP Listen to article As the status of over one million Afghan citizens holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards hangs in the balance after expiry of their stay limit last month, the refugees are worried about economic losses due to possible disposal of their assets in haste that they built in the past five decades. Although there is slow implementation of the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan, the refugees are concerned that they may be forced to sell their valuable assets at throwaway prices in case the validity of their cards is not extended further. Due to security and economic considerations, the Pakistani authorities decided to repatriate all illegal foreign immigrants in November 2023. Pakistan has so far repatriated approximately 1.3 million Afghans and still there are about 1.6 million staying back, according to the data compiled by a United Nations entity. These include over one million refugees who have PoR cards but these documents expired on June 30, 2025. The government is considering two options, either giving a temporary extension or offering these PoR card holders a long-term visa, according to officials dealing with the subject. So far, no decision has been taken to extend the PoR cards but the government is working on a new visa policy for foreigners, said Chaudhry Talal, the Minister of State for Interior, while talking to The Express Tribune. The matter to give an extension had also been discussed in the federal cabinet but no decision was taken. Talal said that the new visa policy would offer incentives for foreign investment in Pakistan and the Afghan citizens can also take advantage of that. Beyond Boundaries, an initiative of the Centre for Research and Security Studies, has been working for the resolution of the Afghan refugees' issue. It is advocating a permanent solution to the problem so that the refugees who came to Pakistan after 1979 are not forced to sell their assets at discounted prices and these people can also positively contribute to the local economy. Only Dostokhail tribe people are holding approximately Rs52 billion in assets in Peshawar in the shape of movable and immovable properties in others' names, said Ahmad Shah, a trader from the tribe. Affluent Afghans should not be deported, as it is mutually beneficial for them as well as for Pakistan, said Ahmad Shah. Shah claimed that they are not allowed to own assets and cannot open bank accounts. But the central bank authorities said that thousands of PoR card holders were having bank accounts. Shah said that his tribe also contributed over Rs14 billion or $51 million in foreign remittances last year. These remittances are sent by the tribe members working in Europe, Canada, and the United States, he added. "Our family does not have any criminal record, and we are traders doing business in black tea, tyres, and batteries," said Ahmad Shah. "My children are born in Pakistan and they do not want to go back to Afghanistan," said Shah, who is worried about selling off his benami assets at throwaway prices if the government finally decides to repatriate all Afghan refugees. "We are traders because we do not have permanent residence status and cannot legally invest in Pakistan," said Mohammad Bakhtiar, another member from the Dostokhail tribe. However, for Pakistani authorities, $51 million in remittances is not much compared to the cost that they believe the Pakistani economy was paying due to the presence of Afghan refugees. The cost is in the shape of the role of Afghan refugees in illegal trade of currency and smuggling of goods under the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement. In the last fiscal year, Pakistan received a record $38.2 billion in foreign remittances that helped post a current account surplus of $2.1 billion. But there are questions on the sustainability of these remittances due to the federal government's decision to freeze subsidies for remittances. It has also reduced the benefits on foreign remittances, but a decision remains pending on who would foot the bill. Building foreign exchange reserves is the responsibility of the central bank, thus, it should be funding the scheme, Finance Secretary Imdadullah Bosal told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance this week. Bosal said that the federal government did not have funds to continue the Pakistan Remittances Initiative scheme. The secretary said that the finance ministry was working with the central bank to find a solution, as no money is kept in the new budget. "As against Rs89 billion budgeted allocation in the last fiscal year, the finance ministry received nearly Rs200 billion claims from the central bank ... that is quite a substantial chunk," said Bosal. He said one of the options was for the central bank to deduct the cost upfront from the profits it transfers to the federal government. However, the challenge is that it would still be treated as part of the primary expenses. After multiple rounds of background discussions, Beyond Boundaries has recommended streamlining visa processes for traders of Afghan origin and granting them residency, enabling them to invest in Pakistan.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
BRIEFING NOTES: (1) Afghanistan, (2) Syria, (3) Bangladesh
Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Ravina Shamdasani Location: Geneva Date: 18 July 2025 Subject: Afghanistan Syria Bangladesh (1) Afghanistan The surge in the number of Afghans forced or compelled to return to Afghanistan this year is creating a multi-layered human rights crisis requiring the urgent attention of the international community. Many have been either directly forced to return by States where they have been residing, and others have felt compelled to do so because of threats, harassment and intimidation. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk calls for an immediate halt to the forcible return of all Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers, particularly those at risk of persecution, arbitrary detention, or torture upon their return. Countries in the region must ensure that returns to Afghanistan are voluntary, safe, dignified, and consistent with international law. In just over seven months, over 1.9 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan to Afghanistan. From Iran alone, over 1.5 million have arrived since the start of the year. Of these, 938,000 or 60 per cent were deported – including 500,000 since 13 June. More than 300,000 Afghans have been returned from Pakistan since 1 January this year, on top of the many hundreds of thousands more who have returned since the Taliban takeover and the Government's adoption in 2023 of an 'Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan'. In Tajikistan too, a group of Afghan nationals, including refugees and asylum-seekers, were reportedly summoned in Vahdat on 8 July by security officials and informed that all Afghan nationals must leave the country within 15 days. The scale and frequency of deportations from the country had already sharply increased in recent months. From October 2024 to July 2025, at least 485 Afghan nationals have been deported, among them 334 refugees or asylum-seekers. Many Afghans have also been forced to leave or issued ultimatums from several other countries. A number of countries are also considering reversing their asylum policies granting protection for Afghan refugees. Sending people back to a country in which they are at risk of persecution, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment or other irreparable harm, violates the core international law principle of non-refoulement. People also have a right to make such a claim and have it fairly considered by State authorities before any action to forcibly expel an individual. Deportations in violation of these basic rules must stop immediately. At the same time, given the particularly severe situation on the ground – especially for women and girls - we call on all States to increase the availability of legal pathways for Afghans to find a safe place to live. People returning to Afghanistan, whether by compulsion or of their own volition, find a country facing an acute humanitarian and human rights crisis. The first priority must be to ensure their immediate needs are met, including the provision of food, water, shelter and access to healthcare. They also face structural and systemic discrimination, gender persecution, issues related to ethnicity, obstacles to full reintegration into society, and a dearth of work and livelihoods as a result of a struggling economy. Women and girls, who are systematically deprived of their rights in Afghanistan, are particularly at risk upon their return. The UN Human Rights Office has spoken out strongly against the extreme institutional discrimination and undue restrictions imposed on women and girls, the cumulative effect of which has been to almost erase women and girls from public life and prevent them from accessing basic services. Others among those deported are journalists, and former civil servants or employees of the previous Afghan government who are particularly vulnerable to reprisals and torture by the de facto authorities upon their return. The UN Human Rights Chief implores States to do everything in their power to help those who have already endured decades of warfare, poverty and hardship, as well as extreme discrimination and threats. We must not turn our backs on them now. The UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan will be publishing a report next week on the risks faced by those forcibly returned to Afghanistan. (2) Syria Syria's interim authorities must ensure accountability and justice for the killings and other gross human rights violations and abuses in the southern city of Suweida, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said today, repeating his call for a new Syria that works for all its people, equal in dignity and without discrimination. Credible reports received by the UN Human Rights Office indicate widespread violations and abuses, including summary executions and arbitrary killings, kidnappings, destruction of private property and looting of homes. Among the reported perpetrators were members of the security forces and individuals affiliated with the interim authorities, as well as other armed elements from the area, including Druze and Bedouins. This has led to a mass displacement of the population in the predominantly Druze governorate. See more: (3) Bangladesh The UN Human Rights Office and the Government of Bangladesh this week signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding to open a mission in the country to support the promotion and protection of human rights. Since last August, the UN Human Rights Office's engagement with Bangladesh has significantly increased. The Office has been working with various stakeholders in advancing human rights reforms and conducting a comprehensive fact-finding inquiry into last year's deadly repression of broad protests.
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
India to make a ‘bold move' on Afghanistan
A day after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a telephone conversation with the 'acting Afghan Foreign Minister,' Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, officials in New Delhi asserted that India will undertake 'bold moves' on Afghanistan and 'do whatever is necessary' in the near future to establish stronger relations with the Taliban-ruled state. As part of that process, South Block will consider the possibility of extending humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees who have been forcefully repatriated by Pakistan. On Thursday (May 15, 2025), Mr. Jaishankar, in his conversation with Mr. Muttaqi, had indicated that India will also deepen direct humanitarian support to Afghanistan, which has been under Taliban rule since August 2021. Sources informed that some of the requirements of the Taliban administration had been under consideration in India and that Mr. Muttaqi had raised Afghanistan's requirements with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri when the two met in Dubai on January 8, 2025. The Government of Pakistan, earlier this year under its 'Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan', repatriated 80,000 Afghans who were living in various locations in Pakistan, and the process is expected to continue. The expulsion of Afghans who have been living in Pakistan for decades has emerged as a major issue between Kabul and Islamabad, as Pakistan has instructed all provinces that 'illegal foreigners' should not be given houses or shops on rent in any part of the country. Officials in New Delhi said that short of formal recognition, India will make a 'bold move' on Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and that New Delhi attached a 'lot of significance' to the Jaishankar-Muttaqi conversation, as it came in the backdrop of Mr. Muttaqi's upcoming visit to Iran and China next week. Mr. Muttaqi and Mr. Jaishankar had discussed cooperation with the Taliban to take advantage of the Chabahar port in Iran, which is acquiring greater importance as India has banned trade through the Pakistan border. India had cleared 160 Afghan trucks carrying dry fruits and nuts through Attari, but these vehicles remained stranded on the Pakistani side until Friday, when Pakistan allowed them to enter India. The Taliban has described Mr. Muttaqi's upcoming multi-nation visit as part of Afghanistan's 'active foreign policy,' which has been shaping Kabul's 'balanced' posture in South Asia. Officials in New Delhi indicated that India is willing to do 'whatever is necessary' regarding the Taliban in the present context, which has been described as a 'new normal' by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). India had friendly ties with the Afghanistan's government of President Ashraf Ghani which was overthrown by the Taliban in a swift military advance in August 2021. Upon the overthrow of the Ghani government, India had withdrawn officials from its embassy in Kabul and evacuated its missions in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif. However, over the last two years, New Delhi has steadily increased exchanges with Taliban representatives. Since 2021, India has sent 50,000 tonnes of wheat, 350 tonnes of medicines, 40,000 litres of Malathion fertiliser, and 28 tonnes of relief material to Afghanistan, including aid sent after the 2023 Herat earthquake. Despite the growing interactions, India has not granted the Taliban formal recognition, mainly because of the Taliban's human rights record, particularly concerning the continued closure of schools for girls and restrictions preventing women from returning to government jobs. While India has gradually allowed Taliban-appointed individuals to take over Afghan missions in Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, India's consular work in Afghanistan also continues to remain below its full potential, as India has not reopened its consulates in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif, and the embassy in Kabul is being led by a technical team which took charge of the mission on June 23, 2022. Sources in New Delhi described Mr. Muttaqi's phone call to Mr. Jaishankar as 'bold posturing' by Kabul, as it was preceded by the Taliban's strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 and the outfit's growing confilct with Pakistan. Mr. Jaishankar and Mr. Muttaqi have agreed to stay in touch, and it is understood that several upgrades in the bilateral realm may follow in the near future.
Spectator
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
The hypocrisy of Pakistan's migrant expulsion plan
This month Pakistan has expelled more than 80,000 Afghans in what the government has labelled its Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan. In total, since September 2023 the United Nations estimates that approximately 910,000 Afghans have reluctantly returned to their country. Many of these are holders of Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC), which were given to them when they arrived. The Pakistan government has given Afghans until today to leave. After this, they will be forcibly deported. The Interior Ministry has warned landlords that 'strict action' will be taken against them henceforth if they provide accommodation to undocumented Afghans. Pakistan justifies the mass expulsion on security grounds, alleging that many Afghans 'contribute to rising criminal activities within its borders'. Most of those being expelled are not criminals. Many have lived in Pakistan for years, since the Taliban first took control of Afghanistan in the late 1990s.
Express Tribune
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Govt sets April 30 deadline for undocumented Afghans to leave country
Afghan refugees wait in a queue to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Torkham on October 27, 2023. PHOTO: AFP Listen to article The government has reaffirmed April 30 as the final deadline for all foreign nationals residing in the country without valid visas to leave, with the Interior Ministry intensifying its crackdown under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan. The move particularly targets undocumented Afghan nationals, with Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry announcing the renewed push at a press conference in Islamabad on Friday. 'Pakistan has shown unmatched hospitality for decades, but the time has come to strictly enforce our immigration laws,' Chaudhry said. His statement comes ahead of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's visit to Kabul, where a high-level Pakistani delegation is set to hold talks with the Afghan government. The government had initially set a March 31 deadline for Afghan citizens lacking legal documents or holding Afghan Citizen Cards to voluntarily return. That deadline was later extended to April 30. Since the start of April, over 84,800 Afghan nationals have been repatriated, according to Chaudhry. He said the process is being handled in a 'lawful, organised, and humane manner,' with coordination from Afghan authorities to ensure a smooth transition. Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees over the past 40 years, but currently over 2.1 million remain, mostly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and other provinces. Officials cite rising national security threats as part of the reason behind the crackdown. More than 1,600 people were killed in attacks last year, nearly half of them security personnel. Chaudhry also warned of strict action against Pakistanis providing housing, jobs, or other services to undocumented foreigners. 'If anyone gives a shop, house, or any kind of space to an illegal foreigner, they will be held accountable under the law,' he said. He further revealed intelligence suggesting some weapons left by US forces in Afghanistan have ended up in the hands of terrorists, posing a grave regional threat. 'Our policy is not driven by hostility but by the need to uphold the law, ensure public safety, and protect national interests,' he said.
