Pakistan Prepares to Deport Illegal Afghans
2023-10-26
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1The Pakistani government has approved the creation of several deportation centers for hundreds of thousands of Afghans living illegally in the country.
2Pakistan plans to arrest and send the Afghan nationals back to Afghanistan starting next month.
3The government recently approved the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.
4It sets a November 1 deadline.
5The deadline is for all "illegal/unregistered foreigners" and those overstaying their visas.
6These groups are required to return to their countries.
7If they do not, they face deportation for breaking Pakistan's immigration laws.
8Pakistani Interior Minister Sarfaraz spoke when the deadline was announced in early October.
9He said an estimated 1.7 million Afghans are among those facing deportation.
10Official sources told VOA that special deportation centers would be established in four areas: Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
11Afghans detained in Punjab and Sindh will be moved to centers in the Rawalpindi and Karachi areas.
12Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will have two deportation centers in Nowshehra and Chamkani.
13While Baluchistan will have three centers: one in the capital of Quetta, and others in the areas of Pishin and Qilla Abdullah districts.
14These two areas are on Pakistan's 2,600-kilometer border with Afghanistan.
15Most refugee families are in those areas.
16The new plan empowers local administrations, police, and other officials to detain and deport Afghan nationals illegally living in the country.
17The plan also says that individuals charged with or on trial for minor crimes will be sent out of the country.
18It also says that those charged with or facing trial for "serious crimes" will not be sent back to Afghanistan.
19Pakistan has promised to carry out the deportations in "a phased and orderly" way.
20It also said that it would not target the 1.4 million Afghan refugees living legally in the country.
21The government added it would not target 900,000 Afghan citizens who are registered in Pakistan as economic migrants.
22The government has told law enforcement agencies not to harass legal refugees and those with Afghan nationality documents.
23However, Afghanistan's Taliban rulers and refugee families have claimed that some Afghans experienced abuse and mistreatment from the police.
24The Taliban have called on Pakistan to reconsider the deportation plan, calling it "inhumane" and "unacceptable."
25However, they have recently set up special camps on the Afghan side of the border.
26The camps will provide immediate shelter, health care, food, and financial assistance to families returning from the neighboring country.
27Officials in both countries have confirmed that tens of thousands of Afghans have voluntarily returned to their home country since Pakistan announced the deadline nearly a month ago.
28Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Afghan television urged Pakistan to treat Afghan refugees "humanely" and extend the period of deportation.
29He asked all the refugees to return to their country.
30He said the Taliban has made Afghanistan into a "safer and better" place.
31The Taliban seized power from a U.S.-backed government in August 2021.
32At that time, U.S. and NATO troops left the country after nearly 20 years of involvement in the Afghan war.
33After the Taliban took over, hundreds of thousands of people fled to Pakistan.
34They feared punishment for their connections to Western forces.
35They included human rights defenders, former government officials, professionals, female activists and reporters.
36Many have since moved to the U.S. and other Western countries.
37But thousands are waiting in hopes of immigrating to the United States or Europe.
38The Taliban has enforced Islamic law in the country.
39The group has barred teenage girls from schools and many women from work.
40The restrictions mean many refugee families do not want to return to Afghanistan.
41They say their daughters cannot seek education or work in the country.
42The United Nations has urged Pakistan to suspend its deportation plan.
43It warns the plan could mean Afghans will be subject to abuse by the country's ruling Taliban officials.
44I'm Gregory Stachel.
1The Pakistani government has approved the creation of several deportation centers for hundreds of thousands of Afghans living illegally in the country. Pakistan plans to arrest and send the Afghan nationals back to Afghanistan starting next month. 2The government recently approved the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan. It sets a November 1 deadline. The deadline is for all "illegal/unregistered foreigners" and those overstaying their visas. These groups are required to return to their countries. If they do not, they face deportation for breaking Pakistan's immigration laws. 3Pakistani Interior Minister Sarfaraz spoke when the deadline was announced in early October. He said an estimated 1.7 million Afghans are among those facing deportation. 4Official sources told VOA that special deportation centers would be established in four areas: Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 5Afghans detained in Punjab and Sindh will be moved to centers in the Rawalpindi and Karachi areas. 6Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will have two deportation centers in Nowshehra and Chamkani. While Baluchistan will have three centers: one in the capital of Quetta, and others in the areas of Pishin and Qilla Abdullah districts. These two areas are on Pakistan's 2,600-kilometer border with Afghanistan. Most refugee families are in those areas. 7The new plan empowers local administrations, police, and other officials to detain and deport Afghan nationals illegally living in the country. The plan also says that individuals charged with or on trial for minor crimes will be sent out of the country. It also says that those charged with or facing trial for "serious crimes" will not be sent back to Afghanistan. 8Pakistan has promised to carry out the deportations in "a phased and orderly" way. It also said that it would not target the 1.4 million Afghan refugees living legally in the country. The government added it would not target 900,000 Afghan citizens who are registered in Pakistan as economic migrants. 9The government has told law enforcement agencies not to harass legal refugees and those with Afghan nationality documents. However, Afghanistan's Taliban rulers and refugee families have claimed that some Afghans experienced abuse and mistreatment from the police. 10The Taliban have called on Pakistan to reconsider the deportation plan, calling it "inhumane" and "unacceptable." However, they have recently set up special camps on the Afghan side of the border. The camps will provide immediate shelter, health care, food, and financial assistance to families returning from the neighboring country. 11Officials in both countries have confirmed that tens of thousands of Afghans have voluntarily returned to their home country since Pakistan announced the deadline nearly a month ago. 12Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Afghan television urged Pakistan to treat Afghan refugees "humanely" and extend the period of deportation. He asked all the refugees to return to their country. He said the Taliban has made Afghanistan into a "safer and better" place. 13Taliban rule in Afghanistan 14The Taliban seized power from a U.S.-backed government in August 2021. At that time, U.S. and NATO troops left the country after nearly 20 years of involvement in the Afghan war. 15After the Taliban took over, hundreds of thousands of people fled to Pakistan. They feared punishment for their connections to Western forces. They included human rights defenders, former government officials, professionals, female activists and reporters. 16Many have since moved to the U.S. and other Western countries. But thousands are waiting in hopes of immigrating to the United States or Europe. 17The Taliban has enforced Islamic law in the country. The group has barred teenage girls from schools and many women from work. The restrictions mean many refugee families do not want to return to Afghanistan. They say their daughters cannot seek education or work in the country. 18The United Nations has urged Pakistan to suspend its deportation plan. It warns the plan could mean Afghans will be subject to abuse by the country's ruling Taliban officials. 19I'm Gregory Stachel. 20Ayaz Gul reported this story for Voice of America. Gregory Stachel adapted the story for VOA Learning English. 21________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23deport - v. to force (a person who is not a citizen) to leave a country 24deadline - n. a date or time when something must be finished 25source -n. a person who tells a reporter information 26empower - v. to give official authority or legal power to (someone) 27phased - adj. done gradually in steps and according to a plan 28harass - v. to annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way 29humane - adj. kind or gentle to people or animals 30teenage - adj. between 13 and 19 years old