Pakistan restarts Afghan refugee repatriation amid border tensions
| Published date | 24 March 2024 |
| Author | ARSHAD MEHMOOD/THE MEDIA LINE |
| Publication title | Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel) |
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Islamabad-based senior intelligence official told The Media Line that a recent terror attack on a Pakistan military base near the border with Afghanistan reaffirmed Pakistan's decision to deport all Afghan citizens forcibly.
"Pakistan has consistently urged Kabul to take action against terrorists operating on its soil," the source said. "However, Kabul's lack of seriousness in addressing these concerns led to reinitiating the expulsion drive. In the broader national interest, Pakistan will cease to shoulder the burden of Afghan refugees."
The source said that high-ranking officials were finalizing the strategy for the deportations, which are set to begin after the end of Ramadan in mid-April.
He outlined Islamabad's firmly held belief that terrorists frequently cross shared borders and take refuge in Afghanistan after targeting Pakistani security forces.
In October 2023, the Pakistani government declared its intention to apprehend and repatriate hundreds of thousands of unregistered foreign nationals and migrants who lacked proper documentation, setting the deadline for Nov. 1, 2023. The announcement drew sharp criticism from the UN, the US, and international human rights organizations.
The repatriation measures were anticipated to affect approximately 1.7 million undocumented Afghan refugees of the 4 million total Afghan nationals in Pakistan.
Many of the Afghans currently residing in Pakistan arrived during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Between 600,000 and 800,000 Afghans are estimated to have entered Pakistan following the Taliban's assumption of power in Afghanistan in 2021.
According to the UN's International Organization for Migration, over 500,000 Afghans left Pakistan after Islamabad imposed the November deadline for undocumented migrants to depart. Pakistani officials say that these Afghan citizens either voluntarily returned or were forcefully deported.
The deportation process has been notably sluggish over the past few months for unclear reasons. The new efforts have been taken on amid mounting concerns in Islamabad over a surge in attacks on security forces. Pakistani officials attribute these attacks to religiously motivated terrorists suspected of seeking refuge in Afghanistan's rugged border regions.
Kabul, however, denies sheltering any terrorists.
A report published in December 2023 by the independent Islamabad-based Center for...
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