MoRR to neighbours: Don’t use Afghan refugees politically

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) has urged Iran and Pakistan to treat Afghan refugees with dignity, stressing the need to uphold Islamic values, humanitarian principles, and international law.

The ministry strongly warned that refugees should not be exploited for political purposes.

This statement follows recent reports of police in Pakistan arresting and deporting Afghan refugees in Islamabad and Rawalpindi after the March 31 deadline for illegal migrants to leave expired.

Since then, around a thousand families have returned to Afghanistan.

In its statement, MoRR expressed regret over the forced deportation actions taken by neighbouring countries, saying: “Regrettably, the process of forcibly expelling Afghan refugees by neighbouring countries has commenced.”

The ministry also condemned the arbitrary detentions of Afghan nationals in residential areas, marketplaces, and workplaces before their forced repatriation.

MoRR urged Pakistan to cease the mistreatment of Afghan refugees and immediately end the coercive deportation measures.

The statement further stressed that refugees should never be used as political leverage.

“We call on the Islamic Republics of Pakistan and Iran to exercise restraint and patience in their dealings with refugees and to uphold principles of good neighbourliness, Islamic brotherhood, humanitarian values, and international law,” the MoRR said.

Reports indicate that there are approximately three million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan, with one million lacking legal residency documents.

kk/sa