Afghan refugees face mass deportation from Pakistan

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Hundreds of thousands of Afghans face the threat of deportation back to their war-torn country from Pakistan once a deadline expires on Saturday, but Kabul is crying foul over the move. Pakistan is home to 1.7 million refugees and hundreds of thousands more unregistered migrants from its neighbour, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). But Islamabad says it cannot be expected to tolerate illegal migrants, and 400,000 undocumented Afghans in Pakistan’s northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the bulk of the Afghan community live, face the imminent prospect of removal. The UNHCR describes the situation of Afghans in Pakistan as the “largest and most protracted refugee crisis in the world” and warned that the question of how to deal with it was becoming “increasingly politicised”.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that law enforcement agencies had been told to compile lists of illegal Afghans and once the June 30 deadline passes, orders will be issued for their arrest, appearance in court and subsequent deportation to Afghanistan. “No country allows illegal immigrants, how it is possible to legalise something which is illegal?” Hussain said. “We have been accommodating Afghan immigrants for 32 years. The provincial government cannot take their burden any more. They should go back to their country.”
But the Afghan government is nervous about welcoming home so many jobless, impoverished people to a country where returnees have in the past struggled to find work and roofs over their heads. The government in Kabul denied the expulsions would take place. Afghan Refugee Ministry spokesman Islamuddin Jurat conceded there was a “small problem” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but said the two sides had agreed to solve the issue and give the Afghans “some legal status to stay there”. The Afghanistan-Pakistan border is notoriously porous and even if the deportations were to go into effect there would be little to stop returnees going back to Pakistan. Pakistan, where the economy is also depressed, says it cannot be expected to tolerate illegal migrants. Hussain claimed that illegal Afghans were involved in crime; however some believe such accusations are an excuse to rid the country of the immigrants. Pakistan has already carried out some deportations, albeit on a much smaller scale. Between December 2010 and February 2011, some 1,400 Afghan families were sent home from Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). It said Afghan and Pakistani officials had agreed to offer “safe and dignified repatriation” to 7,200 families, or around 50,000 people, from Pakistan, if funding can be found. “Afghanistan doesn’t have the capacity to absorb so many people. It doesn’t have the resources in terms of schools, clinics and especially jobs,” said IOM spokeswoman Aanchal Khuranaa. “The gradual return of an estimated 2.4 million undocumented Afghans from Iran and Pakistan will pose serious challenges,” said IOM Afghanistan country director Marco Boasso.
Since the US-led invasion in 2001, around 5.7 million Afghan refugees have returned to their home country, many living in destitution. Afghanistan remains the world’s biggest producer of refugees, the UNHCR said last week, putting their number at 2.7 million.

68 COMMENTS

    • and u got enough money from unhcr bc of refugee just think that they are muslims i think u have forgotten all of ur huminity

    • It is better for them to go back. The situation in Afghanistan is going to change in the near future or conveying in different words in the very near foreseeable future. These people who are part of the Muslin Ummah will be able to serve the Ummah better whilst resettling in Afghanistan. The problem is that they are all, almost all speak Pushtu and Urdu and have belonging to Pakistan and have strong bonds with Pathans living in Pakistan would spell trouble for us.

      Some time I wonder why is there no Hindu or Sikh Ummah. Are we inferior?

      • no its not a matter of inferiority or superiority. i respect other religions but the best code of life(not only religion or method how to pray) and the ultimate solution to all the problems the world has ever seen or will ever see and is not only theoretical but is practically implementable : ISLAM. and thats how and thats why is the muslim ummah.
        the world has seen in the old days, when this code was implemented to the world, the history knows that days as the best the world has ever seen. not only for believers but also for unbelievers.

  1. they should be deported..the Karzai should accept them.wht the hell is he doing being the president!!! he should actually take some responsibility of his people..Pakistan is in turmoil due to such insertions!!

  2. never they are part of our ummah, we should deport the traitor rulers. The Prophet (saw) says : One Muslim’s pain afflicts all the Ummah

    الْمُسْلِمُونَ كَرَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ إِنِ اشْتَكَى عَيْنُهُ اشْتَكَى كُلُّهُ وَإِنِ اشْتَكَى رَأْسُهُ اشْتَكَى كُلُّهُ

    The Muslims are like one man, if his eyes complains then the whole of him complains, and if his head complains then the whole of him complains

    (Muslim)

    مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كَمَثَلِ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا أَلِمَ بَعْضُهُ تَدَاعَى سَائِرُهُ

    The example of the believers is like the body, if part of it hurts the rest of it is summoned

    (Ahmed)

    Commentary

    a. The simile of a single body conveys the feeling of the closeness of the Muslims to each other, such that each ones pain is shared by another since they are from the same body no matter their location, language or ethnicity.

    b. These narrations are further explanation of the part of verses in the Quran which state that only the believers are brothers (al-hujaraat), and that the believers are merciful amongst each other (al-fath).

    c. Imam Abdul Raof al-Munawi said regarding the first narration that is emphasizing the rights the Muslims have over one another, and encourages them to be merciful to each other and to support one another in other than sin.

    d. It can be understood that the safety and security of the Muslims is one.

  3. get these afghans out of my country and let them go sell their roasted corn, shoe shine and carry out menial tasks in their own godforsaken country. we dont need them here. its always been because of military dictators that these afghans flood our country. get out and stay out sez I

    • you are right but that's not the proper way to address the problem. being a good pakistani citizen, its our duty to be polite, remain polite and do the right whatever the conditions are. by the way i myself favor the decision of their deportation.
      e grazia

  4. I doubt these Afghanis are the one selling drugs or guns…..these Afghanis are similar to Pakistani who have migrated to US so that their children can have a better future since

    • but in the usa they are living with a legal status and abide by a very strict law.unlike the afghanis do here

  5. Pakistan (as bad as their economy is) is still doing better than Afghanistan….and not to forget these Afghanis are part of the Muslim Ummah and if Pakistani officials just cut back on corruption to say

    • Yes, there are other 50 plus muslim countries, these refugees can go there, Pakistan has hosted them more than its share of being a member of this mythical so called ummah

      • no its not so called ummah. you better mind your language and before taking someone else's name, should stand in your shoes first and look before you leap. its "The ummah", something respectable and a bond known and recognized anywhere called everywhere.
        regarding the problem, i belong to the very same area.i know what are the problems there.the problem in afghanistan is almost finished thats why they should go back. and we'd be keeping them but our people are being ignored due to their illegal stay. our people are our first priority. also be advised that our good engineers and doctors go and serve there which implies that there are enough opportunities but for the skilled one. and you should know that there is no place for the raw hand.i am mech engineer in turin italy but planning to go there in future . thank u

  6. from 100% to 50% and work together than maybe they can help the Pakistani economy as well as get Afghanis to return home with few rupees in their pockets to start a new life in their own country…. (Please increase the number of character we can post)

  7. All those propogating this notion that these afghans are our muslim brothers and sisters – please get your heads straight! Since their arrival, Pakistan has not only fed them and supported them even though we can barely feed our own people – in return, they have done what for Pakistan?? They brought us the gun culture, a warped version of Islam, terrorism (almost every major terrorist act has an afghan involved in it), drugs (largest opium producer of the world is afghanistan), smuggling and to top it all, most afghans hate Pakistan as can be seen from their posts on Pakistani blogs. Who are you trying to kid – they have a "free country" of their own now – time to go home and leave us alone. Muslim ummah yea right! Think Pakistan FIRST! Then worry about this fake back stabbing "ummah"!

    • you said well but what about your last 2 sentences. are they so important to support your cause and the other lines?? come on indians or whatever you ppl are but get known of the fact that u ppl are very short sighted. u think that it’d bring hate in the two muslim countries? never ever. we still go to jalalabad to marry girls and they do the same coming to peshawar mardan and even lahore and islamabad. i have lived in all these places and know how muslim brothers like each other. due to you all some ignorant aghans started to hate pakistan and when the pakistanis heard of the hate, the smacked back without knowing the situation. but people like me and a lot more, we are liberal and educated pashtoons and would not start fighting like arrogant nations.
      we support their return as its the very right thing at the time.

      • uh huh – number one i am pakistani. two, Afghanistan has always had a hidden sort of enmity against us because of the durand line issue. Thats no secret! So they intermarry with us and vice versa. Whats got to do with anything. They are giving sanctuary to fazlulah and countless other terrorists who just beheaded 17 of our soldiers and went back in to afghanistan! These refugees are not loyalo to pakistan but mooch of us cause they know they have nothing to go back to. Trust me, its not out of love for Pak that they want to stay here – lols. And three, my afghan friends openly tell me they love india and hate pak. With friends like these who needs enemies.

    • fake is the one who has fake eyes. pak afghan brother hood has always been on top. get back indians.

  8. These afghan mullahs are also responsible for suicide attacks within Pakistan. and this ummah excuse shall be stopped. Do the Saudis and Gulf arabs treat us as part of ummah…Why only Pakistan is mama of ummah..Afghans have destroyed KPK econonmy..their herds have destroyed our forests…!If Punjabis are so fond of ummah, they should settle them in Punjab.

    • no mullah doest do suicide but the indian intelligence do in our country. its on the record and has been proved.
      yes saudi's treat us like brothers. if you dont think so, just try to get to makkah sharif city. and you will be rejected. any brother form pakistan or afghanistan will be accepted. so stay on your poor soil in india. you cant benefit from afghanistan. and stop interruption in pakistan. like you did in the east pak(now bangladesh) and doing the same now in afghanistan

  9. Just send them back, they are just disturbing the economy and peace of Pakistan, we feed them and they hate us they don't deserve any sympathy.

  10. – The only cause of suffering until they're here, look at FATA/Balochistan/NWFP. Devastated.

  11. they should be deported..the Karzai should accept them.wht the hell is he doing being the president!!! he should actually take some responsibility of his people..Pakistan is in turmoil due to such insertions!!

  12. Afghanistan should take responsibility of its people ..We have other thing stop worry about…

    • Mr salarzai, you are living in fools paradise, these afghanis have destroyed forests, promoted drugs and and many social evils such as prostitution, hope you remember glimjum girls roaming in Rukshas iin Peshawar, looking for patrons. They are burden on the provincial economy.

      • just think about urself like stage drama girls u ppl are s bad bcz u ppl just think abt ur profit not abt huminity u encouraged afghan ppl in 1970s bcz u ppl wanted to destroy afghanistan nd at that time and u ppl created taliban now on of their branch is in swat and tribal areas well indian ppl are more better than pakistani bcz they dont think abt their profit just think abt justice

    • Because you are not paying for their food and shelter, when they are not fed properly, they resort to crime..we do not have enough jobs and food for our pakistanis, we should cater them? and US and Karzai are in peace process, they blame Pakistan, so Pakistan is not safe for Afghans, rite..think about it!!

  13. never they are part of our ummah, we should deport the traitor rulers. The Prophet (saw) says : One Muslim's pain afflicts all the Ummah

    الْمُسْلِمُونَ كَرَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ إِنِ اشْتَكَى عَيْنُهُ اشْتَكَى كُلُّهُ وَإِنِ اشْتَكَى رَأْسُهُ اشْتَكَى كُلُّهُ

    The Muslims are like one man, if his eyes complains then the whole of him complains, and if his head complains then the whole of him complains

    (Muslim)

    مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كَمَثَلِ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا أَلِمَ بَعْضُهُ تَدَاعَى سَائِرُهُ

    The example of the believers is like the body, if part of it hurts the rest of it is summoned

    (Ahmed)

    Commentary

    a. The simile of a single body conveys the feeling of the closeness of the Muslims to each other, such that each ones pain is shared by another since they are from the same body no matter their location, language or ethnicity.

    b. These narrations are further explanation of the part of verses in the Quran which state that only the believers are brothers (al-hujaraat), and that the believers are merciful amongst each other (al-fath).

    c. Imam Abdul Raof al-Munawi said regarding the first narration that is emphasizing the rights the Muslims have over one another, and encourages them to be merciful to each other and to support one another in other than sin.

    d. It can be understood that the safety and security of the Muslims is one.

  14. yes these our brothers and in afghanistan people abusing Pakistan the new afghan and usa policy search ‘loy afghanistan’ on google

  15. I am so sad when KIDS n CHILDRENS become a refugee…sorrow n sadness cn b see thru their eyes..they hopes fr better future….

  16. The Afghan refuges must be deported from our sacred land without any further delay as we have too much sufrred already.we have no any sweet hearts for them as they as they have destroyed pakistan completely.

  17. Sentiments aside, forever. Let's be practical. From 1979 to 2012, which is 33 years, Pakistan has been hard put to get a sensible and progressive government. The
    politicians, bureaucrats and molvis are responsible for our continuing political and economic MESS.
    Corrupt politicians and their flippant approach to putting the country on the road to self-sufficiency, corrupt LEAs, lack of education, molvis screaming Jihad, lack of energy, lawlessness and disorder, suicide attacks, targeted killings and sectarian murders, borrowing internally and externally to operate the country, and the list goes on.
    With these problems staring us in the face, we cannot live on tea and sympathy. Due to our and the UNHCR negligence, especially the USA that has always made monkeys of our government and armed forces, we have to get our house in order. That is it.
    If the Afghan government is incapable of setting its house in order, we cannot play host to their people at the cost of our security, economy and honor. It is time USA, India, and Afghanistan looked after the border on their side. With these refugees, going back let the NATO and ISAF care for them. We look after their people and they kill our soldiers at Salala and by intruders from Kunan and Nuristan provinces. Let them set the Afghan economy right by asking USA and India to invest more for the economic employment of these refugees.
    Sentiments aside, please. Salams

  18. pakistani are being beated in afghanistan and being killed, put to jails without anything,they had been brought on the media,afghan government is trying to tarnish pakistan abroad,they have the similar policy of india,,let them load in trucks and send them back and hamid kerzy should carry them on his back.

  19. Very good news. Nothing against Afghans but they should return home and US should take responsibility to facilitate and rehabilitate these unfortunate people. US/UK/NATO countries owe it to Afghanistan. Why should Pakistan bear the burden of millions of refugees and the problems that this war has created for Pakistanis.

  20. afghans should leave Pakistan as soon as possible, the sooner they leave the better future they will have, clean from coruptions……Pakistan teachs coruptions, torrorism, drug dealings nothing else.

  21. They Should be deported back to Afghanistan as soon as possible ! Its because of they the war on terror started. Its the afghans whom started drugs dealings, suicide bombings etc. Pakistan was à god country before afghanis entered it.

  22. plzzzzzzzzzzzzz i request u all dont think abt ur profit that bcz of refugee ur economy going down just think that those afghan people who have completed thier studies in pakistan what will they do after 2012 bczz their language would b totally changed and those peoplewho made their house there who struggled hard for their better future in pakistan what will b their future. if u think that it is not ur problem then i think u dont care abt huminty, islaam. it was bad luck of afghan that russia attacked on afghanistan and they migrated to pakistan. but just think they if such satuation would b done with pakistanis then what they do??????? plzzzzz think abt a future of muslim not about afghan if u think so then i think india and other western countries are more better than pakistani ………plzzzzzz zara sochiye .

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