KARACHI (Reuters) – The U.N. refugee agency has expressed concerns regarding the distress and panic among large Afghan refugee communities in Pakistan as the authorities crackdown on undocumented foreigners. Islamabad’s decision to expel over a million undocumented refugees, mainly Afghans, has led to widespread distress and fear, with over 370,000 Afghans fleeing Pakistan since October 1. The UNHCR has reported that even documented refugees are being targeted, despite Pakistan’s claims that they are exempt from the crackdown.
Philippa Candle, the representative of UNHCR in Pakistan, mentioned at a briefing in Geneva that the government’s actions have created panic and intimidation, leading to evictions and a sense of distress among the Afghan refugees. The UNHCR stressed the importance of voluntary return and the identification of vulnerable individuals who need international protection. Pakistan has stated that harassment of documented refugees is unusual and it is taking action against the perpetrators, but the ongoing search operations are causing concern among the long-term residents.
In Karachi, police are conducting door-to-door searches in refugee settlements, along with officials of the national database authority. Afghans residing in these areas are being asked to provide identification, which is cross-checked electronically. Although reluctant and distressed, residents have allowed police officers to verify the identification of women and children. There has been no resistance, and the documents of those whose status checked out were returned.
Despite the crackdown, thousands of Afghans have gone underground in Pakistan, fearing deportation and expressing concerns about their safety if they return to Afghanistan, now under Taliban rule after the sudden withdrawal of U.S.-led western forces in 2021. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated that the sudden arrival of hundreds of thousands of Afghans has created a new crisis in Afghanistan, with the returnees needing assistance and shelter as winter approaches. With already over six million internally displaced people in Afghanistan, the future for those returning from Pakistan is uncertain.
(Reporting by Gibran Peshimam and Akhtar Soomro; Editing by Nick Macfie)
