Some Pakistani clerics support expulsion of refugees

INTERNATIONAL DESK: During a meeting with Pakistan’s chief of army staff, General Syed Asim Munir, the scholars expressed their concerns about the use of Afghanistan’s territory against Pakistan and asked the current Afghan government to take action in this regard.

“The forum unanimously supported Government’s measures to harden the State including repatriation of illegal foreigners, implementation of One Document Regime, anti-smuggling and hoarding measures and anti-power theft drive. It also fully acknowledged Pakistan’s position and concerns on terrorism emanating from Afghan soil and urged serious actions by Afghanistan to address Pakistan’s concerns,” Pakistan Armed Forces News said on X.

Meanwhile, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, head of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, has called on the citizens of the two countries to maintain their unity by emphasizing the “long-standing relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

In a speech in Peshawar, he said that these two countries should use restraint and act carefully in cases where countries create “mistrust.”

The head of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam of Pakistan said that the internal politics of each country belongs to that country and there should be no interference.

“We are two neighboring and brother countries. We have been in contact for many years, so which powers are creating distrust between our two countries? We should think about this issue very thoughtfully, and we should think about this issue very wisely,” Maulana Fazlur Rehman said.

“Pakistan is attempting to imbue its politics with a religious essence, and in terms of religion and Islam, validate its citizens and tell them that the decisions they have made are not only national but also Islamic in nature,” said Wahid Faqiri, an international relations expert.

Although officials of the Islamic Emirate have not yet commented on this, they have always rejected claims of Pakistani officials about the use of Afghan territory against other countries, including Pakistan.

“The Islamic Emirate always adheres to its commitments and we do not want our country to suffer or other countries to suffer from our country,” said Nooruddin Azizi, the acting minister of industry and commerce.

In the meantime, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees expressed its concern over the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, saying that the deportation of refugees on the eve of winter deepens the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

“The return of hundreds of thousands of Afghans from Pakistan, most without jobs or homes & just before winter, set to deepen Afghanistan’s already-severe humanitarian crisis,” UNHCR said in a report.

This comes as18 days have passed since the deportation of Afghan immigrants from Pakistan.

According to UNHCR, more than 350,000 people have returned to the country so far.

“In total, more than 350,000 people have returned to Afghanistan since the announcement, and the number arriving at borders exhausted and in need of emergency assistance continues to grow,” UNHCR’s report reads.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has also said that returnees from Pakistan are at risk of contracting serious diseases.

“It is a big concern for the people arriving in here. They need immediate shelter, because most of them have nowhere safe to go and this means serious risks, especially for the women and children,” said Abdul Khaliq Sediqi, a Communications Coordinator for the IRC in Afghanistan. (TOLO NEWS)