Aurat March has expressed shock at the state’s decision to evict and deport Afghan refugees from Pakistan by November 1, 2023, and has appealed for taking this decision back. In a letter to Interim Prime Minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Aurat March has said, “We are appalled at the Pakistani state’s decision.”
A statement issued to the press in which is the letter written to the premier, jointly by Aurat March Lahore, Aurat March Multan, Aurat March Karachi and Aurat March Islamabad says: “These refugees have been living in Pakistan for decades, escaping a repressive Taliban regime in Afghanistan and are protected under international laws. Chapters of the Aurat March from Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Islamabad demand that the government reverse and withdraw its 30-day deadline immediately.
“Pakistan has signed international treaties which prohibit it from forcing refugees to return to their home country as per the non-derogable principle of non-refoulement. We’d like to draw your attention to the 1993 Cooperation Agreement with UNHCR whereby Pakistan had agreed to cooperate with UNHCR and accepted international law norms on refugees. As part of these norms, refugees cannot be asked to return to their home country and any refugee return must be voluntary, without any pressure. The current policy is a direct violation of this norm.
“It is also inhumane to ask people who have been living in Pakistan for decades to return to Afghanistan within 30 days. Many of these refugees have never been to Afghanistan and have little connection to the country. This will upend their lives and livelihood, barely giving them enough time to wrap up their businesses. The policy would also separate many families as not all family members are registered — separating many children from their parent(s). Many refugees include human rights defenders, artists and folk musicians who are at risk of near certain death if forced to return.
“Many Afghans refugees have escaped war, extreme violence and are afraid of living under the repressive Taliban regime. As you are well aware, women in Afghanistan do not have the right to work or study so returning to Afghanistan would expose them to gross human rights violations. Aurat March has always advocated for women’s right to study, work, and make small and big decisions about their lives themselves — and hence we stand in solidarity with Afghan women and their struggle.
“The policy is also unconstitutional as it was taken by Apex Committee under the caretaker government. Such decisions, materially impacting the lives of millions, are beyond the mandate of a caretaker government as its sole responsibility is to carry out elections. We urge the government to withdraw such unconstitutional policy measures.
“We also condemn the rampant harassment and racial profiling of Afghans within the country, even those with Proof of Registration (PoR) cards and valid documentation. Many Afghans live in constant fear of arrest by the police under the draconian Foreigners Act, 1946. What’s more, we have also received reports of police officers seizing and destroying refugees’ PoR documents if the latter refuse to pay the police’s arbitrary bhatta. Afghan bastis and settlements have been routinely destroyed by development authorities. Dehumanising language has been used at the highest levels of the government to erroneously suggest that Afghans living in Pakistan are collectively responsible for security issues in the country.
“Refugees who wish to register themselves for PoR have been facing serious delays and inefficiencies. It is well documented that a lot of refugees have applied for their cards since 2021 but have not received them. We demand that the registration process be made as smooth as possible and all those refugees in the pipeline receive their cards at the earliest. It is cruel to punish refugees for the Pakistani government’s own inefficiencies.
“Multan, Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore country chapters of the Aurat March demand the government immediately take back its cruel and illegitimate decision to deport refugees and release all those detained. Arbitrary arrests and harassment of Afghans based on racial profiling must cease. We urge the government to sign the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and pass the National Refugee Bill, 2023 to work towards regularising rights of refugees and integrating them as part of our society.
“Pakistan will only be safer if it is more welcoming of diversity and protects the most vulnerable in its midst. History will remember us harshly if we turn away our Afghan brothers and sisters. We hope the government acts swiftly and decisively,” the letter concludes.
