The Pakistani government recently announced the commencement of the second phase of expelling migrants starting from April 15, 2024. The first phase began on November 1, 2023, intensifying from September 15 of the same year. Media outlets, citing UN sources, reported that from the onset of this process until January 13, 2024, at least 520,000 Afghan refugees returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan. A small portion returned due to Pakistani government pressure, while the rest were detained and deported by Pakistani police. According to media reports, at least 500,000 Afghan refugees were expelled by the Pakistani government.
The interim government of Pakistan, led by Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, which initiated the expulsion process, extensively campaigned against migrants months before to prepare the public mind for a widespread expulsion. Afghan migrants were subjected to various accusations, ranging from involvement in criminal activities to terrorist attacks, aimed at fostering a negative perception among Pakistani citizens. Pakistani television and other media outlets spent months vilifying migrants, exacerbating the hostile sentiment. Conversely, the Pakistani government warned property owners that renting to undocumented refugees would result in fines of over 400,000 Pakistani rupees, prompting many landlords to evict Afghan tenants.
Just yesterday, Samaa TV, a Pakistani media outlet, reported that in the past 10 days, at least 8,581 Afghan refugees were detained and expelled from Pakistan. The expulsion of this number of Afghan refugees marks the beginning of another extensive process ordered by the central government of Pakistan. On March 17, 2024, the Interior Minister of Pakistan instructed the Punjab provincial government to begin the second phase of migrant expulsion from April 15. In the past month, police vehicles in Balochistan province announced through loudspeakers that illegal migrants must leave Pakistan by April 15. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa local government also announced that as of yesterday, the identification and segregation process of Afghan citizens with Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) had been completed, and the expulsion process had begun. In this phase, ACC holders, totaling 850,000 individuals, are to be expelled. Pakistan’s government had announced from the outset its intention to expel 1.7 million undocumented migrants.
This situation has sparked widespread concern among Afghan migrants residing in Pakistan. Some of these migrants have lived in Pakistan for decades and have established businesses. With the Pakistani government confiscating their properties and allowing them to transfer only 50,000 rupees (approximately $200) with them, they will face severe poverty in Afghanistan. Given the dire state of the job market in Afghanistan, these migrants will encounter increasing difficulties. Consequently, with the influx of nearly a million additional unemployed migrants into the country, unemployment will worsen, ultimately leading to an increase in criminal activities. If these families, who may have relatively stable livelihoods in Pakistan, become extremely impoverished upon entering Afghanistan, they will be unable to afford their children’s education. This situation presents an opportunity for extremist groups, including the Taliban and ISIS, to recruit children and adolescents. The only option left for these families in terms of educating their children is sending them to Taliban-run religious schools, which provide for students’ living expenses. However, this option is only available for boys, leaving girls completely deprived. Education in Taliban-run schools signifies the proliferation of extremism.
On the other hand, among Afghan migrants in Pakistan, thousands have left the country due to security threats. Unfortunately, supporting refugee organizations, including UNHCR, has also failed to persuade the Pakistani government to protect the lives of these migrants. These individuals include journalists, former security forces, civil activists, and others whose lives are endangered upon returning to Afghanistan. Over the past two years, the Taliban have repeatedly targeted and killed former security forces who were expelled from Pakistan or Iran. Perhaps the least of their worries is falling into Taliban prisons ,where they face the most inhumane torture. Therefore, the mass expulsion of Afghan migrants from Pakistan, alongside other challenges it brings, threatens the lives of thousands.
In such a situation, human rights organizations, journalist supporters, and refugee advocates must collectively initiate extensive efforts to halt this widespread expulsion of migrants from Pakistan. Sending thousands of people into the jaws of death is a grave stain on the Pakistani government and human rights organizations. Supporting countries of refugees and relevant international bodies should explore all possible options to engage in dialogue with the Pakistani government and ultimately halt the expulsion process. Governments processing Afghan refugee cases should also expedite this process in light of the current situation.
You can read the Persian version of this analysis here:
موج دوم اخراج مهاجران از پاکستان؛ هزاران جان به خطر میافتند
