Afghan Refugees Face Arbitrary Arrest, Deportation in Pakistan, Says Amnesty International

Amnesty International said that many Afghans who fled from Afghanistan to Pakistan fearing persecution by the Taliban are facing a wave of arbitrary arrests and threats of deportation.

The organisation criticised the indifference of the international community to the situation of these Afghan immigrants.

In a report, Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said, “It is deeply concerning that the situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is not receiving due international attention”.

On Monday, the government of Pakistan announced that it will deport 1.1 million illegal immigrants from the country.

Pakistani media reported that the decision also included "Afghans with residence cards".

According to Pakistani media outlets, the deportation plan will be implemented in three stages.

In the first stage, all illegal immigrants without documents and in the next stages, Afghan immigrants with residence cards, will be deported from the country.

Amnesty International had previously published reports that following the Taliban's takeover of power in Afghanistan, many Afghans had been forced to flee to Pakistan due to the Taliban's persecution and have been facing difficulty in registration, asylum and visa processes since the past two years.

The organisation said that the international community has failed to adequately protect those fleeing persecution in Afghanistan.