More than a million Afghans in Pakistan are at risk of deportation. Tens of thousands have already left the country. The Foreign Office expressed concern and said it was in close contact with the Pakistani authorities.
The federal government has expressed concern about the mass deportations of Afghans threatened by Pakistan. A spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin said that there is close contact with the Pakistani authorities in connection with Afghans who are supported by the federal government in leaving Pakistan.
They explained that people who came to Germany from Pakistan through the so-called federal admission program would be exempt from deportations.
Federal admission program for Afghanistan
Afghans who are particularly at risk can come to Germany through the federal government’s admission program. It is aimed at people who are particularly exposed through their commitment to women and human rights or through work in the areas of justice, politics, media, education, culture, sport or science. So far, around 600 people have been accepted into the program, but according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, only thirteen people have entered Germany. According to the information, a total of around 30,000 particularly vulnerable Afghans entered Germany. This included around 19,300 former local employees who worked for federal government institutions and their families.
Pakistan justifies plans with certainty
According to Pakistan’s refugee agency, more than 10,000 Afghans left the country on Tuesday. It was now expected that another 25,000 people would follow. The Pakistani government has announced that it will deport refugees without legal status if they have not voluntarily left the country by the end of October.
More than four million Afghan migrants and refugees live in Pakistan. According to government figures, about 1.7 million are undocumented, although many of them have lived in Pakistan all their lives.
The measure is primarily aimed at Afghans from the neighboring country ruled by the Islamist Taliban, who make up the largest proportion of irregular migrants in Pakistan. The Pakistani government cited a deterioration in the security situation in the border region as a result of the increase in suicide attacks, for which it blames militant fighters from Afghanistan.
Criticism also from the UN and Human rights groups
Criticism had previously come from UN organizations and human rights groups. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch accused Pakistan of relying on threats, abuse and arrests to persuade Afghan asylum seekers without legal status to return. The organization appealed to authorities to drop the deadline and work with the UN refugee agency to register people without documents.
The authoritarian Taliban government itself called for “Afghans not to be forcibly deported without preparation, but rather to be given enough time.”
The Foreign Office spokesman said they were particularly concerned about the already catastrophic humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. This will increase again as winter approaches.
Against this background, the Federal Foreign Office has so far promised 20 million euros in support for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan and neighboring countries as part of the UN refugee agency UNHCR 2023. This would support Afghan internally displaced persons, refugees and returnees.