Amnesty International (AI) has asked Pakistan to immediately halt continued detentions, deportations and widespread harassment of Afghan refugees. From September 2023 to February 2024, Pakistan has deported 527, 981 Afghan refugees with little regard to international human rights law, particularly the principle of non-refoulement. “Thousands of Afghan refugees are being used as political pawns to More
Despite criticism from Kabul and human rights groups, Pakistan is gearing up for the second phase of repatriating Afghan refugees. Nearly one million registered Afghan citizens could be sent back to their homeland, with district authorities and police directed to map whereabouts of the refugees. Directives had been issued to district administrations and police to More
Another group of Afghans has been evacuated to Germany from Islamabad. The German Foreign Ministry said that the Afghans were sent from Islamabad on a special plane yesterday. The ministry said the lives of the group sent to Germany were in danger in Afghanistan. However, the German Foreign Ministry did not say how many men More
The White House and congressional leaders have agreed to grant 12,000 special immigrant visas for Afghan nationals. The SIV program, which was created in 2009 to give Afghans who served as interpreters for the US military a path to escape threats to their lives, has about 7,000 visas remaining of the 38,500 Congress has previously More
Eighty percent of school-age Afghan refugee children in Pakistan have no access to school, a non-governmental organisation says. Alif Ailaan, a non-profit organisation promoting education, It said around 570,000 Afghan refugee children between five and 16 years were not going to schools in Pakistan. It said the numbers were also registered with the United Nations More
Another 333 Afghan nationals have been evacuated on a charter flight from Pakistan to Calgary, says the Canadian government. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) wrote on its X handle: “Today (Friday), 333 Afghan nationals arrived in Calgary on a charter flight from Pakistan.” They will continue their journey to approximately 33 communities across More
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says at least 8,565 people have lost their lives on migration routes across the world in 2023, making it the deadliest year on record. According to data collected by IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, the 2023 death toll represents a tragic increase of 20 per cent compared to 2022, highlighting More
The United States is likely to stop issuing the Special Immigration Visa for Afghans known as “SIV” by the end of this year. The program that resettles in the United States Afghans who worked with the US government could grind to a halt later this year. The congressionally-authorized limit of 38,500 Special Immigration Visas (SIVs), More
Special representatives of Pakistan and Denmark have discussed cooperation in addressing problems of Afghan refugees. Pakistan Special Envoy for Afghanistan Asif Ali Durani wrote on X: “I welcomed my Danish counterpart Mr Lars Bo Moller, and his delegation to the Foreign Office yesterday.” Durani added he discussed with his Danish counterpart the need for cooperation More
Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Wahidi has said undocumented migrants residing in the Islamic republic must return to their countries. Wahidi said in a message on X: “Illegal migrants in Iran should return to their countries and the rest of them should contribute to the development of their country under a regular programme.” Foreign citizens had More
