Complaints persist of Afghan refugees mistreated by Pakistani police

INTERNATIONAL DESK: According to their accounts, even though they have legal documents for staying in the country, the police harass them.

They want the Islamic Emirate to pay serious attention to their issue.

“They are harassed a lot when they go out or want to do their work, some of them are harassed by the police, and ask for documents,” said Farhad, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan.

“The UNHCR, in general, pays no attention to the refugees, we can’t appeal to them, because this is a symbolic organization and pays no attention to refugees,” said Samiullah Azizi, a human rights activist.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani media reported that the cabinet of the caretaker government of Pakistan on Wednesday decided to extend the deadline for those who have been residing in the country without proper documentation, but are waiting on their cases for immigration to Western countries.

“The caretaker cabinet of the federal government on Wednesday extended the deadline for those illegal Afghans who are waiting for the evacuation in the Western countries,” said Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan.

At the same time, the General Consulate of the Islamic Emirate in Karachi said that about 430 documented Afghan refugees have been released from Pakistani prisons.

Takhari told TOLOnews that the detention of Afghans in Pakistan has decreased now.

“A large number of Afghans who had documents were arrested, now by the efforts of the Islamic Emirate, 427 documented prisoners were released and returned to their families. There are also 459 Afghan [detainees] without documents,” Said Abdul Jabar Takhari, the General Consulate of Afghanistan in Karachi.

In a meeting between the Italian Chargé d’Affaires for Afghanistan Natalia Quintavalle with the acting minister of foreign affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi, they discussed the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan among other issues. (TOLO NEWS)