In a significant policy decision, Pakistan has opted to repatriate allunauthorized Afghan refugees, a move influenced by the ongoing tensionsbetween the two nations. According to official sources, the interim federalcabinet has endorsed this decision, aiming to send back approximately 1.1million Afghan refugees residing illegally in Pakistan.
However, there hasn’t been any official confirmation from the interimgovernment, and Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti is yet to commenton the matter when approached. The sources also revealed that around400,000 Afghans entered Pakistan illegally following the Afghan Taliban’sreturn to Afghanistan in August 2021.
Additionally, another 700,000 Afghans have been identified as residingillegally in the country. The cabinet has granted authorization to preparefor the repatriation of all these Afghan nationals to their home country.It’s worth noting that these 1.1 million Afghan refugees lack valid visasor documents permitting their stay in Pakistan.
Furthermore, authorities claim that many of these unauthorized refugeeshave been involved in activities detrimental to the state, which is whytheir swift repatriation is deemed necessary. The Afghan Taliban governmenthas been informed of Pakistan’s decision, and it’s important to mentionthat Islamabad has hosted millions of refugees for decades, including asubstantial Afghan refugee population.
The recent crackdown on illegal Afghan refugees comes amid rising tensionsbetween Pakistan and Afghanistan, particularly concerning the bannedTehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
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Some analysts speculate that Pakistan’s intensified efforts againstunauthorized Afghan refugees may be connected to the Afghan Taliban’sreluctance to take action against the TTP.
Despite Pakistan’s repeated requests, the Afghan Taliban have been hesitantto confront the TTP. A Pakistani delegation recently visited Kabul to urgethe Taliban government to address the TTP threat, but skepticism remains,given the Taliban’s previous unfulfilled commitments.
Pakistan’s move to repatriate illegal Afghan refugees is likely to evokeresponses from the Afghan Taliban government and the UN High Commissionerfor Refugees (UNHCR), as it contradicts the policy of forced refugeerepatriation.
