Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday traded blame on the issue of Islamabad’s plan to evict all Afghans staying in the country illegally.
The latest diplomatic spat was triggered by the Afghan embassy in Islamabad, which accused Pakistani authorities of unilaterally deporting and mistreating Afghans.
It claimed that Pakistani authorities were planning mass expulsion of the Afghan refugees.
The embassy added that it raised the issue with Pakistani authorities and global organizations about Islamabad’s “unilateral” move.
“We shared this issue with Kabul to facilitate discussions on the dignified repatriation of the Afghan citizens and to assess the existing challenges surrounding this issue,” it added.
The Foreign Office rejected the Afghan statement as misplaced and advised Kabul to foster conducive environment in their own country for dignified return of Afghans.
The UN refugee agency UNHCRP said on Tuesday it had received indications Pakistan wanted to immediately remove all Afghan refugees, including those holding Afghan Citizen Cards and Proof of Registration cards, from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and that their expulsion from the whole country is imminent.
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In response to media questions regarding remarks of the acting Afghan Charge d’ Affaires on mistreatment of Afghan refugees by Pakistan, the Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan noted these remarks.
The assertions regarding mistreatment of Afghan citizens are misplaced, he said.
“I would like to remind him that Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan nationals for decades with respect and dignity, while extending traditional hospitality, sharing its resources and services such as health and education, even with very little global support,” he added.
He said while Pakistan had done what it could, it expects interim Afghan government to create conducive environment in Afghanistan, so that these returnees are fully integrated in the Afghan society.
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“The real test of Afghan authorities would be to ensure that rights of Afghan nationals about whom the Afghan Cd’A talked are protected in Afghanistan,” he added.
