The United Nations (UN) human rights experts have urged Pakistan to abandon its announced plans to deport a significant number of Afghan individuals. Pressure from human rights entities has escalated since the interior minister of Pakistan, Sarfraz Bugti, publicized the deportation intention on October 3. If executed, this move may lead to the removal of approximately 1.4 million Afghans by November 1, a schedule set by Bugti himself.
The unveiling of the deportation plan on October 3 referred to “illegal migrants” and criminal actions. However, human rights organizations argue that the majority of those facing deportation are innocents seeking asylum from warfare in their home country. Such groups have highlighted the limited and outdated registration processes, which have reportedly resulted in refugees waiting up to a year just to schedule interviews for Pakistani registration cards, according to certain reports.
This purportedly hasty deportation strategy risks the refoulement of Afghan citizens back to their war-torn home. Refoulement refers to the forced reinstatement of asylum seekers back to their countries of origin before safety can be guaranteed. Such action may contravene the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Pakistan is a state party to the Convention, obligating it to adhere to non-refoulement principles under international law.
Post the Taliban’s seizure of power in 2021, roughly 3.7 million Afghans are estimated to have sought refuge in Pakistan across the eastern border. Rights entities such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) have campaigned against the proposed deportation alongside the UN, noting that many refugees fear persecution in their country of origin. However, a surge in terror attacks in Pakistan has prompted politicians to attribute blame to the high numbers of undocumented Afghan refugees. According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, in September, there were 65 militant terrorist attacks within Pakistan, leading to 136 fatalities, marking a 21 percent rise since August.