Pakistan: Uyghur refugees at risk of expulsion given more time to leave amid government crackdown
November 16, 2023
97 Less than a minute
Mandatory Credit: Photo by SAMIULLAH POPAL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (14184283n)
Afghan refugees wait at a temporary shelter upon their return to their homeland through the Afghanistan-Pakistan border at Torkham, as the Pakistani government's deadline to expel undocumented immigrants is over, in Torkham, Afghanistan, 04 November 2023. Pakistan is preparing to implement its plan to expel undocumented immigrants as the deadline for them to leave the country was due on 01 November. The move particularly affects the millions of Afghan refugees who have fled their homeland, many of them driven by decades of armed conflict and the return to power of the Taliban. Since the Pakistani authorities announced the deadline in early October, a huge migratory flow has been recorded on the porous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. According to official data, there are about 4.4 million Afghan refugees in the country, of which 1.7 million are not registered. Most of them fled during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Afghan refugees return to their home country as Pakistan's ultimatum date is over, Torkham, Afghanistan - 04 Nov 2023
Pakistani authorities have temporarily extended the period of stay for Uyghurs who face risk of deportation under a government order to expel all illegal migrants, RFA reported, adding that the period would be discussed in Pakistan’s parliament soon.
Nearly 20 Uyghur families — or about 100 individuals — who live in the city of Rawalpindi but do not possess Afghan or Chinese passports or Pakistani residence permits have feared deportation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan or China.
The Uyghurs have been living in a state of uncertainty for the past month and have been subjected to sudden house raids, searches and questioning by police, and threats of eviction by landlords.
