Afghan Embassy in Islamabad: Pakistan must reopen ports immediately or stop deportation of migrants
The Afghan embassy in Pakistan has called on the government to immediately reopen border ports for the return of migrants or stop deporting them.
Afghanistan’s ambassador to Islamabad, Sardar Ahmad Shakib, said in an official statement on Thursday that the ports of Torkham and Chaman Spin Boldak had been closed for nearly 20 days and transit trade and movement of people between the two countries had been completely halted.
The situation of stranded Afghan migrants is deteriorating,” he said, referring to the arrest of about 10,000 Afghan migrants and their transfer to detention centers.
According to the embassy, about 400 vehicles carrying migrants from Jamrud to Torkham are stranded and face serious challenges including cold weather, lack of shelter, clean water, food and medicine.
Three children and a woman have lost their lives in the past few days.
The Afghan ambassador also raised reports of harassment and extortion by police in cities such as Sialkot, Khushab and Atak, where migrants have been forced to pay bribes or threatened with transfer to detention centers.
Shakib emphasized that when migrants are forcibly expelled while all ports are closed, they are naturally forced to live on the side of the road, and this raises serious concerns of a major humanitarian catastrophe.
The embassy called on Pakistan to reopen all ports, including Torkham, Spin Boldak, Chaman Angurada and Ghulam Khan, or suspend the deportation of migrants until they ensure their safe, orderly and dignified return.
The request comes as border tensions and Pakistan’s massive deportation of Afghan refugees have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis.
