UN human rights experts have called on Pakistan to refrain from deporting Afghan nationals following Islamabad’s order for all illegal immigrants, including 1.73 million Afghan citizens, to leave or face expulsion. Pakistani authorities have given illegal immigrants until November 1st to leave, citing their allegations that Afghan nationals were involved in several suicide bombings this year.
The group of UN special rapporteurs stated in a statement, “We urge Pakistan to uphold the absolute and non-derogable principle of non-refoulement and prevent collective expulsion and forced return. The lack of domestic asylum laws and procedures does not absolve states of their obligations to uphold the principle of non-refoulement under international human rights and customary law.”
Pakistan has received the largest influx of Afghan refugees since the Soviet invasion of Kabul in 1979. Pakistan’s diplomatic mission to the UN in Geneva has not yet responded to the experts’ statement.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti disclosed this month that around 1.73 million Afghan nationals in Pakistan lacked legal documentation to stay, while the country was currently hosting a total of 4.4 million Afghan refugees.
Islamabad accuses Afghan soil of being used by Islamist militants to train fighters and plan attacks in Pakistan, a charge that Kabul denies.
The UN experts have stated that Pakistan should continue to host Afghan nationals who sought safety and should cease forced returns. “We are also concerned by reports that Afghans living in Pakistan have been subjected to arrests, exploitation, and undignified treatment, including since Pakistan announced its repatriation plans,” they added.
Reported by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Edited by Grant McCool
