Pakistan Sets Up Deportation Centers as Afghan Migrant Deadline looms

 

Sources said special deportation centers would be established in the country’s four provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

 

Afghans detained in Punjab and Sindh will be transferred to centers in Rawalpindi and Karachi districts, respectively.

 

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will have two deportation centers — in Nowshehra and Chamkani — while Balochistan will house three facilities in the provincial capital of Quetta, and in Pishin and Qilla Abdullah districts. These two provinces line Pakistan’s nearly 2,600-kilometer border with Afghanistan and collectively host most refugee families, VOA reported.

 

Under the new plan, district administrations, police, prosecution and prison authorities will be allowed to detain and deport illegally residing Afghan nationals. It specifies that individuals convicted of or currently on trial for minor offenses will be expelled, whereas those convicted of or facing trial for “serious crimes” will not be sent back to Afghanistan.

 

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has appealed to Pakistan to overturn its decision saying it is “inhumane” and “unacceptable.” However, the IEA has recently set up camps inside Afghanistan to provide immediate shelter for returning refugees.