Afghan Refugees in Pakistan Urge Shehbaz Sharif to Halt Forced Deportations

According to Dawn newspaper, the signatories of the letter have urged the Pakistani Prime Minister to immediately stop the deportation of refugees whose asylum applications are under review by the United States, have been approved, or have been accepted into the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).

These refugees emphasized that Pakistan’s decision to deport Afghan migrants will have a negative impact on applicants for the U.S. Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), individuals referred to the USRAP, and those seeking humanitarian parole.

They further stated that these individuals are in the legal process of immigrating to the U.S., and their cases are currently under review or have been approved.

According to them, many Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan are undergoing rigorous security and administrative screenings to obtain visas or refugee status in the U.S. Deporting them back to Afghanistan would be a violation of humanitarian principles and Pakistan’s international obligations.

The letter’s signatories have also called on the Pakistani government to facilitate the visa extension process for Afghan migrants, as they are currently facing multiple challenges, including high costs.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani government has given all Afghan migrants until March 31 to leave the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Under this decision, undocumented migrants and holders of Afghan Citizen Cards must leave the country. However, holders of Proof of Registration (POR) documents issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are permitted to remain in Pakistan until June 30.