Pakistan expands Afghan deportations; doctors, businessmen, families with documents also targeted

Kabul Times News | Pakistan

Pakistani authorities have taken the process of deporting Afghan citizens to a new level; this time, in addition to undocumented migrants, they also include doctors, families with previous residence documents, and Afghan businessmen.

According to reports, 15 Afghan doctors, including a female doctor, who were undergoing specialized training at Nishtar Hospital in Multan, were arrested on Wednesday, July 14, after they went to pursue visa renewal and were taken to the Torkham border crossing for deportation.

One of the doctors said that they were called to the relevant office with the promise of reviewing their documents and extending their visas, but after reviewing their documents, they were arrested without prior notice.

The move is in continuation of the Pakistani government’s new policy of deporting foreigners without valid visas. Pakistani officials have announced that only valid visa holders will be allowed to stay in the country, and that previous residence documents, including some Afghan refugee registration cards, will no longer be valid.

At the same time, the process of forced return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan continues. Local sources at the Torkham border crossing say that hundreds of Afghan families are entering the country every day; families, many of whom have lived in Pakistan for years and now face an uncertain future.

On the other hand, a number of Afghan businessmen in various cities in Pakistan have reported increased inspections and pressure from security forces, and say that some of them have been forced to stop their business activities and sell their assets at low prices.

The increased pressure on Afghan citizens comes at a time when relations between Islamabad and the Taliban government have been increasingly tense in recent months and the process of expelling Afghan refugees has also accelerated; an issue that has raised widespread concerns about its humanitarian and economic consequences.

Report: Shahbanu Noori | Kabul Times News