ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan on Wednesday issued a statement asserting that Afghan refugees in Pakistan were treated with “respect and dignity”, expressing hope that Kabul will create conducive conditions“ to receive refugees repatriated from Pakistan.
The spokesperson’s comments come a day after the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad issued a statement echoing the words of the acting Afghan Charge d’Affaires, alleging that Afghan refugees in Pakistan were being “arrested without warning or formal correspondence” and that the Pakistani government intended to expel all Afghans, even those with documents permitting their stay.
The embassy alleged that Afghan nationals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi were recently subjected to arrests, searches, and orders from the police to leave the twin cities and relocate to other parts of Pakistan.
In today’s statement, the FO spokesperson said that the assertions made by the acting Afghan Charge d’Affaires were “misplaced”.
“I would like to remind him that Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans for decades with respect and dignity, while extending traditional hospitality, sharing its resources and services such as education and health, even with very little international support,” Khan said.
He added that there were mechanisms within Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP) “to ensure that no one is mistreated or harassed during the repatriation process”.
“We also extensively engaged the Afghan side to ensure smooth repatriation of Afghan nationals,” Khan added. “While Pakistan has done what it could, we expect interim Afghan authorities to create conducive conditions in Afghanistan so that these returnees are fully integrated into the Afghan society.”
Khan added, “The real test of Afghan authorities would be to ensure that rights of these people about whom the Afghan Cd’A (Charge d’Affaires) talked are protected in Afghanistan.” –Agencies
