The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has called upon Pakistan’s police to stop their oppressive treatment of Afghan refugees. This comes after reports of Afghan nationals being expelled from Pakistan despite having valid travel documents. The AIHRC has emphasized the danger faced by political activists, protesting women, former government officials, and artists who seek refuge in Pakistan. The commission has urged Pakistani authorities to protect Afghan refugees and urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to negotiate with Pakistan for their protection. They also demanded an investigation into the human rights situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and support for them in line with the acknowledged standards of refugee and migrant rights.
In December 2022, Pakistan’s National Commission on Human Rights had reported the detention of 1,200 Afghan refugees, including women and children, in a high-security prison in Karachi. Pictures of Afghan children crammed into a cell in the central jail had gone viral on social media, prompting appeals for their release. Police and local officials said the detainees would be deported to Afghanistan after serving their sentences or when their release papers were complete.
After the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, more than 100,000 Afghan nationals entered Pakistan after the Taliban took over control in August 2021. Meanwhile, the United States has offered Afghan nationals the chance to renew their parole and stay in America for two more years. The renewal process will be streamlined, free, and subject to case-by-case considerations for urgent humanitarian reasons and significant public benefit.
The Taliban has curtailed women’s rights severely in Afghanistan after assuming power, prohibiting Afghan women from attending universities and secondary schools. Amnesty International recently released a report detailing war crimes committed by the Taliban against civilians in the Panjshir province. The Taliban committed extrajudicial executions, torture, hostage-taking, illegal detention, and the torching of civilian homes. The report emphasized that such acts amount to collective punishment, a war crime, and requested that the Taliban stop immediately.