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The cruelty of Pakistan’s deportation plan
This piece was originally published by the Zan Times.
After the fall of the republican government of Afghanistan in August 2021, hundreds of thousands of people, including former government employees, military personnel, activists, and journalists, entered Pakistan to avoid arrest and death at the hands of the Taliban. Many of those migrants in Pakistan had worked with Western missions and NGOs in Afghanistan and are still waiting for their resettlement applications to be processed. Time is running out.
In an unprecedented move, the Pakistani government imposed stringent measures to expel refugees from Afghanistan, impacting the lives of nearly 1.5 million lives. This displaced population includes former government employees, human and women’s rights activists, and journalists, all of whom are in danger if returned to Afghanistan. Even refugees with valid documents are being arrested by the Pakistani police, who extort money from them by taking them to detention centres, where they are mistreated and beaten. To avoid such arbitrary arrests, even documented refugees are avoiding going outside unless absolutely needed.
Ostensibly, Pakistan’s arrests and deportations are rooted in the fear that there might be individuals with malicious intentions, such as terrorists or those linked to…
