Taliban officials urge Pakistan to prepare joint mechanism for gradual repatriation of Afghan refugees

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 7 (ANI): Taliban officials on Sunday urged Pakistan to prepare a joint mechanism for the gradual repatriation of refugees. Taliban officials further said that forced deportation is in the interests of neither Pakistan nor Afghanistan, Dawn reported.
In a statement on March 7, Pakistan's Interior Ministry had stated, "All illegal foreigners and ACC holders are advised to leave the country voluntarily before 31 March 2025; thereafter, deportation will commence wef 1 April 2025."
Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation spokesperson, Mufti Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, said that bringing the refugees back is the official policy of Afghanistan, Dawn reported. However, it should be conducted under a joint mechanism with Pakistan so that refugees are returned gradually and with "honour".
Speaking to Taliban's Hurriyat Radio, the spokesperson said, "But if Pakistan unilaterally sends refugees, we are fully prepared to receive them." He further said, "We have held meetings with Pakistani officials on the issue and are still in contact with them."
Haqqani said that Afghanistan's only demand is that Afghan refugees should not be forcibly deported as deportation is not only against international laws but also contrary to Islamic values and an act against good, neighbourly norms.
He said, "Their forced deportation is also not in the interests of Pakistan and Afghanistan. We have always demanded that there should be a joint mechanism for the repatriation of Afghan refugees and they should return in fewer numbers so they can be accommodated with dignity."
According to spokesperson, Afghans are being sent back by force and Iran has expressed willingness to prepare a joint mechanism through an understanding.
Haqqani further said that a commission was created to protect and assist refugees. They would be given land in various parts of Afghanistan while skilled refugees would be provided with jobs.
He said, "Those who want to invest, no tax will be imposed for five years and no tax on whatever they brought to the country."
Meanwhile, Afghan officials have stated that refugees from Pakistan are welcomed at camps in Torkham and receive assistance.
Speaking to Afghan state news agency Bakhtar, Nangarhar provincial information department head Siddiqullah Qureshi said that 325 refugees arrived via Torkham on Friday.
He said, "The returnees include 249 members of 62 families and 31 other individuals were deported on April 13." He stated that repatriation through Torkham intensified recently, and returnees were being facilitated with registration and other facilities.
A high-ranking provincial delegation led by Nangarhar Deputy Governor Maulvi Azizullah Mustafa visited the Torkham border to closely monitor the process of the second wave of Afghan refugees heading back from Pakistan and to improve coordination and steps to address their initial problems and needs, Dawn reported, citing Bakhtar.
A camp set up to facilitate the repatriation of Afghan Citizenship Card (ACC) holders is now operational on the Pakistani side. Employees at the camp at Landi Kotal are now clearing refugees for repatriation, the report said further.
On Sunday, officials in the Khyber district said that the cases of 850 Afghans were processed at Landi Kotal camp and Torkham for repatriation. As many as 777 Afghans were deported via Torkham on Saturday.
Speaking to Dawn, a senior official in the Khyber district said that 11,272 Afghans have been repatriated since April 1.
Pakistan has not agreed to the requests made by Taliban leaders and started repatriation and deportation from November 1 under a previous announcement.
Pakistan's interior ministry announced that the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP) was enforced on November 1, 2023. Under the IFRP, more than 700,000 undocumented Afghans have already left Pakistan since the process started.
In a statement, it said, "In continuation to the government's decision to repatriate all illegal foreigners, national leadership has now decided to also repatriate ACC holders."
According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Pakistan representative Philippa Candler, Pakistan hosts 1.52 million registered Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers, 800,000 Afghan citizenship holders, and others living in the country without official recognition. (ANI)