• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home World News Middle East

Pakistan slammed for ‘abusive tactics’ pushing Afghans to leave

April 12, 2025
in Middle East
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0
Pakistan slammed for 'abusive tactics' pushing Afghans to leave
7
SHARES
16
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Convoys of Afghans pressured to leave Pakistan are driving to the border, fearing the “humiliation” of arrest, as the government’s crackdown on migrants sees widespread public support.

Islamabad wants to deport 800,000 Afghans after cancelling their residence permits — the second phase of a deportation programme which has already pushed out around 800,000 undocumented Afghans since 2023.

According to the UN refugee agency, more than 24,665 Afghans have left Pakistan since April 1, 10,741 of whom were deported.

“People say the police will come and carry out raids. That is the fear. Everyone is worried about that,” Rahmat Ullah, an Afghan migrant in the megacity Karachi told AFP.

“For a man with a family, nothing is worse than seeing the police take his women from his home. Can anything be more humiliating than this? It would be better if they just killed us instead,” added Nizam Gull, as he backed his belongings and prepared to return to Afghanistan.

“This should have been done in a humane, voluntary and gradual way”

Abdul Shah Bukhari, a community leader in one of the largest informal Afghan settlements in the coastal city, has watched multiple buses leave daily for the Afghan border, about 700 kilometres away.

The maze of makeshift homes has grown over decades with the arrival of families fleeing successive wars in Afghanistan. But now, he said, “people are leaving voluntarily”.

“What is the need to cause distress or harassment?” said Bukhari.

A large number of undocumented Afghan migrants gather at the Torkham border crossing of Pakistan after being deported from Pakistan under the country’s recently intensified “Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan” [Getty]

‘Harassed every day’ 

Ghulam Hazrat, a truck driver, said he reached the Chaman border crossing with Afghanistan after days of police harassment in Karachi.

“We had to leave our home behind. We were being harassed every day.”

In Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on the Afghan border, police climb mosque minarets to order Afghans to leave: “The stay of Afghan nationals in Pakistan has expired. They are requested to return to Afghanistan voluntarily.”

Police warnings are not only aimed at Afghans but also Pakistani landlords.

“Two police officers came to my house on Sunday and told me that if there are any Afghan nationals living here they should be evicted,” Farhan Ahmad told AFP.

Human Rights Watch has slammed “abusive tactics” used to pressure Afghans to return to their country, “where they risk persecution by the Taliban and face dire economic conditions”.

In September 2023, hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans poured across the border into Afghanistan in the days leading up to a deadline to leave, after weeks of police raids and the demolition of homes.

‘That is their country’ 

After decades of hosting millions of Afghan refugees, there is widespread support among the Pakistani public for the deportations.

“They eat here, live here, but are against us. Terrorism is coming from there (Afghanistan), and they should leave; that is their country. We did a lot for them,” Pervaiz Akhtar, a university teacher, told AFP at a market in the capital Islamabad.

“Come with a valid visa, and then come and do business with us,” said Muhammad Shafiq, a 55-year-old businessman.

His views echo the Pakistani government, which for months has blamed rising violence in the border regions on “Afghan-backed perpetrators” and argued that the country can no longer support such a large migrant population.

However, analysts have said the deportation drive is political.

Relations between Kabul and Islamabad have soured since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

“The timing and manner of their deportation indicates it is part of Pakistan’s policy of mounting pressure on the Taliban,” Maleeha Lodhi, the former permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN told AFP.

“This should have been done in a humane, voluntary and gradual way.”

Afghan refugees board a bus as they leave for Afghanistan at a bus stand in Karachi [Getty]

Risk of persecution

A leading rights group said that Pakistan’s authorities have intensified pressure on Afghan refugees to go back to neighbouring Afghanistan, where they risk persecution by the Taliban and face dire economic conditions.

“Pakistani officials should immediately stop coercing Afghans to return home and give those facing expulsion the opportunity to seek protection,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch.

“The Taliban authorities in Afghanistan should prevent any reprisals against returning Afghans and reverse their abusive policies against women and girls,” she said.

The HRW appeal came a month after the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad said that Pakistan has stepped up arrests of Afghan citizens in Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi for forced expulsion.

However, Pakistan has dismissed the allegation by Kabul, saying that the authorities were only trying to facilitate conditions for the swift return of Afghans to their home country.

HRW said in a statement that the human rights situation in Afghanistan has continued to deteriorate since the Taliban takeover in August 2021.

“Women and girls are banned from post-primary education and denied a broad range of rights and freedoms. Human rights defenders, journalists, and former government personnel are at particular risk,” the group said.

The statement also said that Afghans returning to their country struggle to survive amid Afghanistan’s soaring unemployment rate, broken health care system and dwindling foreign assistance.

Tags: Afghan refugeesAfghansdeportationPakistanTaliban
Previous Post

Carnival Cruise Line pushed to limit pizza delivery todayheadline

Next Post

24/7 command center set up to monitor, resolve technical concerns during May polls

Related Posts

Boundaries are your best friend!

May 25, 2025
3
KPMG report lists urgent priorities for Middle East family businesses

KPMG report lists urgent priorities for Middle East family businesses

May 25, 2025
7
Next Post
24/7 command center set up to monitor, resolve technical concerns during May polls

24/7 command center set up to monitor, resolve technical concerns during May polls

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Trump delays 50% tariffs on E.U. to July 9

Trump delays 50% tariffs on E.U. to July 9

May 26, 2025
Homeland Security Secretary Noem met Netanyahu in Jerusalem amid Gaza conflict

Homeland Security Secretary Noem met Netanyahu in Jerusalem amid Gaza conflict

May 26, 2025
Parts of PH will have cloudy skies, scattered rains due to ITCZ, easterlies

Parts of PH will have cloudy skies, scattered rains due to ITCZ, easterlies

May 26, 2025
Trump suspends planned 50% tariffs on EU – DW – 05/26/2025

Trump suspends planned 50% tariffs on EU – DW – 05/26/2025

May 26, 2025

Recent News

Trump delays 50% tariffs on E.U. to July 9

Trump delays 50% tariffs on E.U. to July 9

May 26, 2025
4
Homeland Security Secretary Noem met Netanyahu in Jerusalem amid Gaza conflict

Homeland Security Secretary Noem met Netanyahu in Jerusalem amid Gaza conflict

May 26, 2025
4
Parts of PH will have cloudy skies, scattered rains due to ITCZ, easterlies

Parts of PH will have cloudy skies, scattered rains due to ITCZ, easterlies

May 26, 2025
3
Trump suspends planned 50% tariffs on EU – DW – 05/26/2025

Trump suspends planned 50% tariffs on EU – DW – 05/26/2025

May 26, 2025
5

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Trump delays 50% tariffs on E.U. to July 9

Trump delays 50% tariffs on E.U. to July 9

May 26, 2025
Homeland Security Secretary Noem met Netanyahu in Jerusalem amid Gaza conflict

Homeland Security Secretary Noem met Netanyahu in Jerusalem amid Gaza conflict

May 26, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co