In a recent operation, Pakistani police have reportedly detained more than 200 Afghan refugees, adding to the ongoing wave of arrests that has raised concerns within the Afghan refugee community in Pakistan.
According to reports, Pakistani police conducted the operation early on Sunday morning, September 17th, prior to 11:00 AM local time, apprehending over 200 Afghan refugees in the bustling vegetable and fruit market of Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan.
It has been observed that military vehicles of the Pakistani authorities are still present in the marketplace, indicating an ongoing security operation.
The detention of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is not a new development, as the authorities have previously undertaken similar actions.
This renewed crackdown on Afghan refugees comes in the wake of a statement made by Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, the interim Prime Minister of Pakistan, who asserted that no Afghan could reside in the country without proper documentation. He emphasized that Afghan nationals lacking the requisite visas would be repatriated to their homeland.
The interim Prime Minister further exacerbated the situation by categorizing Afghans into registered government individuals, those lacking residency documents, and individuals using counterfeit identities, with the latter two groups facing potential expulsion.
Earlier, the Afghan Embassy in Pakistan, under the Taliban’s administration, expressed concerns that the detention of Afghan refugees within Pakistan could adversely impact bilateral relations between the two nations.
