ISLAMABAD:The international community should take notice of the movement across Afghanistan’s borders and help migrants, said speakers in a workshop organized by Human Rights Commission Pakistan here on Friday.
The purpose to highlight the plight of Afghan migrants and refugees, including those who have been in Pakistan for some time, and those who have entered recently and are largely undocumented.
The Speaker said “If migrants from Afghanistan who have entered Pakistan in recent years are not helped soon, a humanitarian tragedy could occur.”
The workshop was attended by representatives of local NGOs, human rights activists and some Afghan migrants.
Speakers said that after the Taliban takeover of August 2021, a number of Afghans entered Pakistan, often after selling their possessions and liquidating their savings. Some of these migrants came on short term or medical visas, while others crossed the border illegally.
They are unable or unwilling to go back to Afghanistan and are living in Pakistan illegally. There are an estimated 275,000 such persons at the minimum.
Pakistan has so far never carried out forcible repatriation, and such a move would not be advisable from a humanitarian perspective, while also being contrary to international law.
Pakistan needs to formulate a policy to deal with these people, either by issuing temporary residence permits, or some other means.
In the longer run, Pakistan needs to develop a policy and legislative framework to cover refugees and asylum seekers in general.