Pakistani authorities in Islamabad have launched a aggressive campaign against Afghan refugees, arresting scores—including a reporter—and shuttling them to makeshift holding sites. The moves signal a hardening stance on undocumented migrants amid security and economic pressures.
According to reports from Afghan news outlets citing on-ground sources, Wednesday’s raids in B-17 scooped up families and individuals, depositing them in Haji Camp for processing toward deportation. This fits a pattern of intensified policing in refugee-heavy neighborhoods like Faisal Town, where complaints of shakedowns and nighttime incursions abound.
The inclusion of a journalist in the dragnet has spotlighted threats to media safety. ‘This chills free expression and endangers those documenting abuses,’ said a press watchdog. Long-resident Afghans, lacking formal papers, live in perpetual fear, their pleas for mercy falling on deaf ears.
Rights groups paint a grim picture: extortionate demands, physical mistreatment, and forced evictions plague these communities. Amnesty International’s recent appeal to PM Sharif lambasts ‘illegal detentions and torture’ by security forces, insisting on state safeguards for 1.1 million at-risk souls per UNHCR figures.
The letter demands concrete steps to pause expulsions, protect vulnerable demographics, and uphold human rights treaties. Women and activists, it warns, face lethal perils upon return to Afghanistan’s oppressive regime.
For 40 years, Pakistan sheltered Afghan exiles escaping conflict. But post-2023 repatriation policy, the tide has turned. Even registered refugees report arbitrary targeting, fueling outrage from global observers. As camps fill and flights depart, the human cost mounts, challenging Pakistan’s legacy as a haven.
Stakeholders urge dialogue over dragnets. Will Islamabad heed the outcry, or double down on its deportation agenda?
