ISTANBUL
\nThe UN warned Wednesday against drawing \u201cunsubstantiated linkages\u201d between the presence of refugees and migrants and risks of terrorism in Pakistan.
\n\u201cWe are deeply concerned at allegations of forced evictions\u2026by landlords\u2026(and) reported cases of arbitrary arrests of Afghan nationals in Pakistan, including children, since the beginning of 2023,\u201d a group of 12 UN experts said in a statement.
\nAcknowledging that Pakistan has hosted Afghan refugees for over two decades, the experts warned however that \u201cunsubstantiated linkages must not be drawn between the presence of refugees and migrants and risks of terrorism.\u201d
\n\u201cIt is critical now, that Afghan nationals continue to receive protection, without discrimination, and that the human rights of all migrants, refugees, victims of trafficking, and all those with continuing fear of persecution, including gender persecution, are ensured,\u201d they said.
\nPakistan gave a one-month deadline in October for all undocumented foreigners to leave by Nov. 1 or face forcible expulsion.
\nInterim Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar claimed last month that Pakistan suffered a \u201c60% increase in terror incidents and a 500% rise in suicide bombings since the Taliban returned to power,\u201d noting that nearly 2,300 Pakistanis have been killed in those attacks.
\nThe Taliban entered Afghanistan\u2019s capital Kabul and captured control of the country in August 2021.<\/p>\n
Read also: UN agency urges Pakistan to halt expelling Afghans during winter<\/p>\n
Defending his government\u2019s move to deport undocumented foreigners, Kakar said such a decision was taken due to a \u201csharp increase in nationwide terrorist incidents,\u201d alleging that foreigners \u201cwithout legal status are linked to those fuelling terrorism and instability in Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the UN experts said: \u201cThe regulation of migration is subject to international law, including the principle of non-refoulement and non-discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n
Afghanistan along with the UN, Amnesty International and other organisations have opposed Islamabad\u2019s decision to evict the undocumented refugees and said their return to their country must be voluntary and without any pressure.<\/p>\n
Amnesty International urged Pakistan to halt the \u201ccontinued detentions, deportations and widespread harassment\u201d of Afghan refugees.<\/p>\n
More than 450,000 undocumented Afghan refugees have left Pakistan in the last month.<\/p>\n
The latest UN figures indicate that 1.3 million Afghans enjoy the status of registered refugees, while 880,000 have legal status to stay in Pakistan.<\/p>\n
Key border closed<\/p>\n
\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200bEarlier Wednesday, a key border crossing with Afghanistan was closed following a dispute over the construction of a new gate, an official told Anadolu.<\/p>\n
The Torkham border crossing has been closed to travellers and traffic following a verbal clash between border security forces from the two countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are constructing a new gate near the border crossing and the Afghan Taliban raised objection to the signboard \u2018Welcome to Pakistan,\u2019\u201d a Pakistani official at the border told Anadolu by phone on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISTANBUL The UN warned Wednesday against drawing \u201cunsubstantiated linkages\u201d between the presence of refugees and migrants and risks of terrorism in Pakistan. \u201cWe are deeply concerned at allegations of forced evictions\u2026by landlords\u2026(and) reported cases of arbitrary arrests of Afghan nationals in Pakistan, including children, since the beginning of 2023,\u201d a group of 12 UN experts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373040,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-373015","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n