Iran and Pakistan Have Deported 500,000 Afghans
Iran and Pakistan Have Deported 500,000 Afghans
Noriko Watanabe and Kanako Mita
Modern Tokyo Times
According to several agencies connected to the United Nations, the nations of Iran and Pakistan have deported over 500,000 Afghan nationals to Afghanistan in recent months.
Accordingly, the United Nations (UN) is sighting the dire economic situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban – and the onset of winter – to Iran and Pakistan. Hence, the UN is calling on Iran and Pakistan to desist from mass deportations.
Pakistan is known to have deported 400,000 Afghans via the border crossings of Torkham and Spin Boldak. Iran is also deporting Afghans.
Voice of America reports, “Afghan media quoted de facto Taliban authorities as reporting that more than 120,000 refugees left Iran within the last two months, saying 90% of them were forcibly expelled. Tehran has not officially announced its crackdown, but Iranian authorities have in recent weeks repeatedly vowed to deport all illegally residing Afghans.”
Philippa Candler (a representative of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Pakistan) said, “Many Afghan returnees are vulnerable, including women and children, who could lose their lives in a harsh winter if left without adequate shelter.”
Pakistan is worried about the recent upsurge in Sunni Islamic terrorist attacks that are blamed on the Afghan connection. Accordingly, Pakistan states that 1.4 million legal holders with “proof of registration” are not being targeted. Other Afghan nationals with specific documents also don’t face deportation. Therefore, Pakistan is claiming it is a national security issue.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports, “Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on September 27 that 5 million Afghans who he said were living “illegally” in the Islamic republic will be deported.”
Lee Jay Walker says, “Iran and Pakistan – two nations condemning Israel over its treatment of Palestinians in Gaza – are deporting Afghans on mass to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan despite the dire situation of many poor Afghan migrants. Also, Iran and Pakistan understand that the Taliban is struggling to provide adequately for Afghan citizens because of the economic crisis this nation faces.”
Irrespective of internal economic problems in Iran and Pakistan, the crisis in Afghanistan is more severe.
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