Concerned Citizens voice against violation of human rights of Afghan refugees

Liaquat Ali

Islamabad: A delegation of concerned citizens called on the Chairperson National Commission of Human Rights (NCHR) Rabea Javeria Agha urging the human rights watchdog body to play its role in addressing issues is massive violation of human rights of Afghan refugees ordered expelled recently by the caretaker government..

Comprising of president human rights cell of PPP former Senator Farhatullah Babar, ex Senator Afrasiab Khattak of NDM, Senator Mushtaq Ahmad of Jamat i Islami, human rights activists Saba Gul Khattak, Barrister Umer Gilani, Amina Masood Janjua and Advocate Supreme Court Imran Shafi the delegation also presented a formal petition to the NCHR chairperson in her office Thursday afternoon.

It said that early this month the unelected Caretaker Government took everyone by surprise when going well beyond its mandate – to carry out elections – it took a U-turn and rolled back Pakistan’s 40-year-old policy regarding protecting refugees – documented as well as undocumented ones.

The abrupt decision was reportedly taken by the so-called “Apex Committee ” which not only has no place in the law and the Constitution but its decision violated the cabinet decision of February 2107 taken by the then elected government. It also violated Court judgments, the Tripartite Agreement between Pakistan, UNHCR and Afghanistan, international treaties signed and ratified by Pakistan and the recommendations made by the Human Rights Committee of the National Assembly late last year, it said. It also went against the GSP plus regime under which Pakistan had earned the facility of preferential exports to the European Union countries.

As a result of this thoughtless and knee jerk order the police all over the country started campaigns to hound Afghan refugees amid widespread reports of harassment, bribery and extortion, the petitioners contended..

The Petitioner vehemently disagreed with the contention that all foreigners living in Pakistan who do not have a valid visa are liable to be deported. This simplistic view about “illegal immigrants” fails to take account of the fact that many of these so-called “illegal” and undocumented” refugees have remained in this state because the government is simply not willing to issue them documents.

This Government’s simplistic stand also fails to take stock of the constitutional right to asylum which exists in Pakistan and has recently been reiterated by the Islamabad High Court in the famous case of RaheelAzizi v. State, the petitioner said.

The Federation of Pakistan, Secretary, Interior Division, Coordinator, “Apex Committee”, DG Immigration and Passports, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees, NADRA, and UNHCR have been named respondents in the petition.

The petitioners urged the UNHCR to restrain the Federation from detaining, forcefully deporting Afghan asylum-seekers who either possess a POR (proof of registration card) , ACC (Afghan citizen card) or whose application for asylum is still pending before UNHCR as endorsed by the courts of Pakistan and also to direct the UNHCR to expeditiously process asylum-seeking applications, especially Afghan Human rights defenders.