UN agencies raise alarm over Pakistan's move to deport thousands of Afghans waiting to go to the US The U.N. refugees and migration agencies on Wednesday expressed their concern over Pakistan's decision to deport thousands of Afghan refugees awaiting relocation to the United States and elsewhere.
Besides thousands of Afghans who are living in Pakistan and awaiting travel to host countries, there are around 1.45 million Afghan nationals registered with UNHCR as refugees in Pakistan as well but their stay has been extended until June.
In the statement, UNHCR and IOM urged "Pakistan to implement any relocation measures with due consideration for human rights standards, including due process, and the legal status of Proof of Registration (POR) and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, who have resided in Pakistan for an extended period of time”.
“IOM is committed to work with the Government of Pakistan and UNHCR to develop a mechanism to register, manage and screen Afghan nationals in Pakistan,” said IOM Chief of Mission, Mio Sato.
The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration in a statement said they were seeking clarification from Pakistan, which said last week it would deport the refugees back to Afghanistan unless their cases were processed quickly by the countries that had agreed to take them in.
