Repatriation and Detention of Illegal Afghan Refugees

By Sajjad Shaukat

Since 1979, Pakistan has been hosting millions of Afghan refugees despite the fact that the country is neither a signatory to the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (the Geneva Convention) nor to the protocol relating to the Status of Refugees of 31 January 1967.

Islamabad for more than 40 years hosted about 4 million Afghan refugees (after Soviet Union’s invasion, 6 million Afghans fled Afghanistan) including 1.4 million unregistered and 0.8 million with Afghan citizen cards, the largest in the world.

There are about 54 Afghan refugee camps operational in Pakistan. Out of which, 43 camps are in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [KP] province, and almost 68% of Afghan refugees live in urban areas, while only 32% live in the camps relying on national public services.

Pakistan’s hospitality has been unparalleled in hosting Afghan refugees, while adhering to the highest standards of protection. Despite Islamabad’s several socio-economic and security challenges, these refugees enjoyed rights to health, education, business, trade etc., unlike other countries.

But recently, Pakistan has been compelled to take various measures in connection with repatriation and detention of illegal Afghan Refugees.

Media reports said that repatriation of illegal Afghan nationals by the Pakistan Government is a much-needed action owing to prevalent security and economic environment of the country. Over 1.1 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan neither possess any visa nor valid documents which may help them to stay in the country. No country allows refugees of unauthorized status to roam free and become a security risk.

Amid reported peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and increasing instances of mistreatment with Afghan refugees–the Islamic Advisory Group (IAG), in collaboration with UNHCR and Afghan embassy in Pakistan should make arrangements for the return of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan.

Illegal Afghan residents in Pakistan were found involved in criminal activities such as terrorism, smuggling narcotics, banned goods under the guise of transit trade and so on.

Meanwhile, Tolonews reported on September 24, this year: “The consul of the Islamic Emirate in Karachi, Abdul Jabar Takhari, said that hundreds of Afghan refugees have been detained by the Pakistani police over the last 15 days…detentions are continuing”.

His statement reminds a report of the Indian-based news agency ANI which was published on the websites of Lokmat Times. Com on June 25, 2023 and Khaaam. Com on June 24, 2023.

The fabricated report of the ANI allegedly said: “While in Pakistan, these migrants are faced with numerous challenges including arbitrary detentions, harassment, and imprisonment by Pakistani police due to failing to provide valid residential permits and visas”.

However, unabated and false reporting vis-à-vis alleged mistreatment and harassment of Afghan refugees in Pakistan has eroded the 40-years spirit of goodwill and generosity of Pakistan.

Only those Afghan citizens have been detained whose Proof of Registration Card (PoR) and Afghanistan Citizen Card (ACC) have expired. One-time ACC issued by the Pakistan’s government to approximately 880,000 refugees in 2017 has now expired.

As a goodwill gesture and to honor IAG’s request, Islamabad has so far released more than 2500 Afghan citizens detained for various charges; process is continuing. 

None of the legal immigrants have been detained, false news are being projected by Indian and likeminded Afghanistan media.                                  

While, all over the world, illegal immigrants are bound to be detained and deported. No country allows refugees of unauthorized status to roam free and become a security risk. In this connection, there are several instances. In July 2023, US authorities detained over 100 Afghan citizens for their irregular entry.  In October 2022, over 200 Afghan women, children and men were detained by Delhi police due to security concerns.

Iran and Turkiye also detained and repatriated Afghan immigrants. Since March 2023, Iran has expelled at least 90,000 Afghan nationals back to Afghanistan. Similarly, Turkish Government has deported 3277 Afghan migrants back to Afghanistan in 2023.

And refugees all over the world are kept in the camps or confined to move within a certain area with restricted numbers under certain conditions. But Pakistan is the only country where 68.8% of Afghan refugees have chosen urban or semi-urban areas as their residence, while the remaining 31.2% are spread across 54 different regions and are allowed to do business (legitimate and illegitimate, all kinds) anywhere in the country.

Islamabad has been an unparalleled host of Afghan refugees, but, cannot compromise on its security.

It is notable that in the recent months, militants of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have accelerated terror attacks inside Pakistan. In this regard, more than 59 people died including a deputy superintendent of police on September 29, this year in the bombing attacks in the Mastung area of Balochistan province, as crowds marked the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed in the country. Shortly, another explosion rocked a mosque in Hangu, Khyber Pakhunkhwa (KPK) province, killing at least 10 people. The mosque is mainly frequented by police personnel. On October 1, in a gun battle, police and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) thwarted an ambush by 12 terrorists on a Kundal police post in Mianwali killing two of them, as other terrorists fled from the scene. A police constable embraced martyrdom during the exchange of gunfire.

The CTD reports confirmed that the terrorists which attacked Kundal check post belonged to the TTP’s Tipu group. They had also attacked a check post in Lakki Marwat (KPK). Here too the terrorists ran away after facing resistance from the local police.

As regards the terror assaults in Chitral, military’s media wing (ISPR) on September 10, this year said in a statement:  “Security forces have killed seven more terrorists during an exchange of fire in the Ursoon area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chitral district on September 9…Four Pakistani soldiers were martyred on September 6 in two separate attacks on Pakistan’s check posts in Chitral, which shares a border with Afghanistan. Twelve terrorists associated with outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan were also killed during the clashes”.

The ISPR statement elaborated: “A large group of “terrorists equipped with the latest weapons” had attacked two military check posts in Chitral district…the attacks were coordinated from the Kunar and Nuristan provinces of Afghanistan”.

Citing Pakistani officials, Voice of America (VOA) reported on September 27, 2023: “Islamabad’s efforts to counter cross-border attacks have borne fruits as interim Afghan rulers arrested 200 suspected militants involved in attacks against Pakistan…the Afghan rulers have also implemented other concrete steps to neutralise the terrorist activity…details of the crackdown on the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan were shared in bilateral talks they hosted [in the end of September] last week in Kabul with a high-level delegation from Islamabad”.

The VOA report explained that Afghanistan is ‘relocating’ TTP fighters away from the border with Pakistan. The report also quoted Pakistani officials who think that Afghanistan’s government is ‘consciously’ distancing itself from the groups such as TTP who are involved in criminal activities and cross border attacks.

Reports suggest that the Afghanistan government has told its citizens not to help or cooperate with the TTP for its ‘jihad’ against Pakistan. In this context, Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has forbidden his forces from launching cross-border attacks against Pakistan, calling them haram or un-Islamic. He has also ordered Afghans not to give donations to the TTP for its so-called jihad against Pakistan.

The TTP is designated a global terrorist organisation by Pakistan, the United States, and the United Nations.

In this respect, the tactical alliance between some Baloch separatist groups and the TTP is most alarming. These outfits are now equipped with the most modern weapons left by the US forces in Afghanistan. The long porous borders with Afghanistan as well as with Iran have allowed the militants to move freely.

Despite the denial of Afghan administration, reports point out that TTP militants are still being sheltered by the conservative Islamic regime. But, Islamabad’s stance has become very tough towards the Afghan Taliban administration after the latest wave of terror attacks by the TTP. And the military leadership has warned the Afghan regime against providing shelter to the terrorist outfits involved in assaults on Pakistani security agencies.

In a statement the ISPR indicated: “It is expected that the interim Afghan government would not allow the use of its soil to perpetrate terror against any country in line with commitments made in the Doha agreement…Such attacks are intolerable and would elicit an effective response from the security forces of Pakistan”.

Notably, last year, Pakistan targeted militant sanctuaries based in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. The presence of the TTP and other transnational militant groups in Afghanistan has been a cause of serious concern for the international community as well.

In this connection, addressing a seminar at the Stimson Center on September 12, 2023, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Tom West admitted that the Taliban rulers had “significantly degraded” the capabilities of the militant Islamic State (IS) group. Mr West further remarked that the Doha agreement which enabled the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan was no longer as relevant as it once was. He has identified the TTP as the greatest threat to regional stability, including Pakistan He added: “Washington looked at Pakistan through the lens of Afghanistan, and now, for the last two years, through a different lens”.

Meanwhile, giving a November 1 deadline, Pakistan on October 3, 2023 ordered all illegal immigrants, including 1.73 million Afghan nationals to leave the country or face expulsion after disclosing that 14 of 24 suicide bombings in the country in 2023 were carried out by Afghan nationals.

Media reported today (October 6, 2023) that Afghan immigrants residing illegally in Pakistan have started leaving the country. On October 5, this year, Pakistan imposed restrictions on 2012 items in connection with Afghanistan’s transit trade.

On the same day, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch clarified that the decision to deport illegal residents was not specifically targeted at the Afghan refugees, but against all immigrants residing in the country illegally without valid visa documents—the operation was not against the Afghan refugees, living legally—the country had been hosting for several decades despite its economic constraints.

At this critical hour, Pakistan is facing multiple problems and crises internally and externally, which are increasing political and economic instability in the country. Our security forces, especially Army are castigating terrorists’ attacks in North Waziristan and South Waziristan. Besides killing some militants, some Army’s soldiers are, also, being martyred in exchange of fire. So, Islamabad should not lose its patience with the Afghan Taliban’s inaction. Otherwise, TTP which has connection with India and other anti-Pakistan terror outfits will further deteriorates Pak-Afghan ties.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

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