KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov 15 – Haji Nooruddin Azizi, a minister in the Taliban-led Afghan administration, raised concerns about the deportation of Afghan refugees during his recent meeting with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, as reported by Al Jazeera on Tuesday.
According to a statement from the Afghan embassy, Azizi highlighted Pakistan’s expulsion of thousands of Afghan citizens who are facing difficulties in repatriating their assets and wealth built over decades in Pakistan. The discussion between the two officials comes in the wake of Pakistan’s announcement that it would expel over a million undocumented Afghans, citing the Taliban-led administration’s perceived inaction against armed groups using Afghanistan as a base to launch attacks in Pakistan.
Taliban officials have argued that these attacks are an internal matter for Pakistan and have called on Islamabad to cease the deportation of Afghan citizens.
The statement from Afghanistan’s embassy in Islamabad also mentioned discussions on bilateral trade, including the release of stranded goods belonging to Afghan traders in Karachi port, as well as the smooth transfer of Afghan refugees’ properties back to Afghanistan.
On the other hand, Afghan citizens returning to their homeland have reported difficulties in transferring cash and property from Pakistan, where many had established businesses and homes over the years.
Last month, Pakistan initiated the expulsion of all undocumented immigrants, including hundreds of thousands of Afghans, starting from November 1, citing security reasons. This decision has faced criticism from the United Nations, human rights organizations, and Western embassies.
Pakistan is currently home to around 4.4 million Afghan refugees, with 1.7 million lacking valid documents, according to Pakistani government figures cited by Al Jazeera.
To expedite the repatriation process, Pakistan opened three new border crossings in the southwestern Balochistan province, in addition to the main crossing in Chaman district. Previously, about 300 Afghans were crossing the border daily, but the number has surged to approximately 15,000 per day since the crackdown began. Over 305,000 Afghan refugees have left Pakistan as of now, with the majority departing from the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkwa.
International aid agencies have documented chaotic and dire conditions for Afghans returning from Pakistan, particularly as the cold winter season approaches. Many have been forced to stay in overcrowded shelters near the border, operated by NGOs and Taliban authorities.
Amnesty International has raised concerns over police raids, home demolitions without due process, and violations of detainees’ rights, urging Pakistan to halt deportations immediately to prevent further escalation of the crisis.
