Nearly 400,000 Afghan refugees returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan in past two months

Kabul [Afghanistan]: Nearly 400,000 Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan in the past two months, TOLO News reported citing the Taliban’s consul in Karachi Abdul Jabar Takhari. According to Takhari, the detention of Afghan refugees is still happening at a high rate in Pakistan.

Takhari said that nearly 1,000 Afghan refugees are currently in detention. “Since Pakistan started the deportation of the Afghan refugees in October, nearly 400,000 Afghan refugees have returned to the country.

In addition to that, we have talked with the Pakistani officials about the release of the Afghan refugees being detained in Pakistan,” TOLO News reported citing Abdul Jabar Takhari.

The Afghan nationals, who are currently detained in Pakistan, raised concerns about their situation. Afghan nationals said that they are facing severe challenges, TOLO News reported.

Hamidullah, an Afghan refugee, said, “It has been four months since I was detained here in Pakistan. I brought my father for treatment to the doctor, my father is now in the hospital, but I am in prison.”

Another Afghan refugee Abdullah said that he has been in prison in Pakistan for the past two months. He further said, “I am in prison without committing any crime.”

Afghan Refugees Council head Mir Ahmad Raufi said that Pakistan police have been carrying out crackdowns to arrest Afghan nations who do not have documents.

Raufi said, “The Afghan refugees are facing pressure from the Pakistan police and there is no difference between legal and illegal refugees–both are being detained, according to TOLO News report.

Meanwhile, the Afghan refugees who were deported from Pakistan following Islamabad’s deadline, are struggling with cold weather amid dire conditions, TOLO News reported.

The deportees said that they were forced to leave everything behind in Pakistan and are now facing dire conditions. Pari Gul, 80, was living in Pakistan for 40 years.

“We have spent 40 years in Pakistan. We have done farming. They have forcefully deported us. If they give us anything, we will be happy. We don’t have a house and land,” she said.

Earlier in October, Pakistan announced it would expel over 1.73 million undocumented Afghan refugees after November 1. Meanwhile, the deportees raised concerns about their situation as the weather is getting cold in many areas of Afghanistan.

“We cannot do farming and we don’t have any house. We want the Taliban to help us,” TOLO News quoted a deportee named Zahir. Taliban has prepared a terminal in Kabul’s Sarai Shamali area as a camp for the deportees. The camp has more than 50 tents and it has the capacity to hold 500 people.

“This is an emergency process. They will be staying for one or two nights in the terminal. We provide them with all facilities,” said Kabir Khil, head of the terminal.

The spokesman for the Taliban-led Kabul security department, Khalid Zadran, said that they have made preparations to help the Afghans being deported from Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s decision to deport undocumented Afghan refugees has faced strong reactions from the international community.