<
https://theconversation.com/why-western-countries-share-the-blame-for-the-plight-of-1-7-million-afghans-being-deported-from-pakistan-217532>
"On November 1, Pakistan began a nationwide operation to deport over 1.7
million Afghans it says are living in the country illegally. There are now an
estimated 10,000 people returning to Afghanistan each day.
Pakistan has indicated the deportations are designed to reduce cross-border
incursions from Taliban fighters based in Afghanistan. But it is more likely
the interim military government is succumbing to populist politics around
inflation, housing shortages and cost of living pressures in the country.
There were already over a million Afghans living in Pakistan before the Taliban
came back into power in Afghanistan in August 2021. But the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been unable to process all of the
estimated 600,000 to 800,000 Afghans who have fled to Pakistan since then. It
is estimated only about a third of Afghan refugees in Pakistan are registered
with the refugee agency.
The level of documentation that Afghans in Pakistan have varies extensively.
Some entered the country without visas and passports. Some entered on visas and
have been waiting indefinitely for renewal, others are on expired visas.
The UNHCR has subcontracted much of the registration of refugees to other
organisations in Pakistan. Often, payment to a local broker is the only way
refugees are able to get an appointment. This is entirely unreasonable when
countries like Australia require UNHCR registration of refugees to facilitate
priority processing.
Many refugees experience lengthy waiting periods to be registered, formally
recognised as refugees and then issued an ID card, let alone referred for
onward resettlement. Shelter, food and medical assistance are not even
considered.
Refugee identity documents are not even enough to protect people from
deportation. There have been reports of police detaining and threatening people
with valid Pakistani visas. Activists told me of incidents in which police have
torn up valid visas and Afghan passports.
Many Afghans have applied for resettlement in countries that were members of
the NATO-led force that maintained security in Afghanistan, such as the US,
Canada, Australia and countries in the European Union. But as the world has
turned its eye to other conflicts, those countries have fallen drastically
short of their promises to Afghan refugees. It is estimated only 200,000
Afghans have been resettled globally since August 2021."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
