Pakistan’s Plan to Send Afghan Refugees Back Home Faces Criticism
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced the repatriation of Afghan refugees, despite facing international criticism. This statement was made during a meeting with a UN delegation led by Special Representative for Afghanistan, Indrika Ratwatte.
Pakistan began deporting Afghan refugees last year, alleging that Afghan nationals were responsible for a spike in suicide bombings. However, Naqvi assured that no action would be taken against individuals holding legal documents.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are 2.18 million documented Afghan refugees in Pakistan. This includes 1.3 million refugees with Proof of Registration (PoR) cards and 880,000 with Afghan Citizen Cards (ACCs).
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have condemned the deportations. Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, criticized the Pakistani government for not protecting the rights of its citizens and focusing on silencing dissent. James Jennion from Amnesty International highlighted the risks Afghan refugees face if deported to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Amnesty International also stated that Pakistan’s ‘Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan’ violates international human rights law and puts Afghan refugees at risk, especially vulnerable groups like women, journalists, and former Afghan officials.
Doubts Revealed
Pakistan -: Pakistan is a country in South Asia, located next to India. It has a lot of people and is known for its rich history and culture.
Afghan refugees -: Afghan refugees are people from Afghanistan who have left their country because of war or danger and are living in another country, like Pakistan, for safety.
repatriation -: Repatriation means sending people back to their own country. In this case, it means sending Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan.
international criticism -: International criticism means that people and organizations from different countries are saying that they do not agree with what Pakistan is doing.
UN -: The UN, or United Nations, is a group of countries that work together to solve world problems like peace and human rights.
Human Rights Watch -: Human Rights Watch is an organization that looks out for people’s rights and makes sure they are treated fairly.
Amnesty International -: Amnesty International is another group that works to protect human rights and helps people who are treated unfairly.
deportations -: Deportations mean forcing people to leave a country and go back to their own country.
human rights violations -: Human rights violations are actions that go against the basic rights and freedoms that every person should have, like safety and fair treatment.
security concerns -: Security concerns mean worries about safety and protection from danger or harm.
legal documents -: Legal documents are official papers that show a person has permission to do something, like stay in a country.
